/4  7-raa^  jja^s_ 


y 


— 


■ 


— 

U.S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE.  ' 

DIVISION  OF  CHEMISTRY. 
BULLETIN.  No.  20. 

I : — ?-* ■■  ' 


RECORD  OF  EXPERIMENTS 


CONDUCTED    BY    THK 


COMMISSIONER  OF  AGRICULTURE 


MANUFACTURE  OF  SUGAR  FROM  SORGHUM 


AT 


RIO  GRANDE,  NEW  JERSEY:  KENNER,  LOUISIANA:  CONWAY 
SPRINGS,  DOUGLASS,  AND  STERLING.  KANSAS. 


18  8  8. 


DOCUMENTS 


H.    W.    WILEY,    ChertTT^tr— . 


WASHINGTON: 
GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE, 

188 


U.S.  DEPARTMENT  OE  AGRICULTURE. 

DIVISION  OF  CHEMISTRY. 

BULLETIN  No.  20. 


RECORD  OF  EXPERIMENTS 


CONDUCTED    BY    TDK 


COMMISSIONER  OF  AGRICULTURE 


MANUFACTURE  OF  SUGAR  FROM  SORGHUM 


RIO  GRANDE,  NEW  JERSEY;  KENNER,  LOUISIANA;  CONWAY 
SPRINGS,  DOUGLASS,  AND  STERLING,  KANSAS. 

18  8  8. 


BY 


IE    W.    WILEY,  Chen 


WASHINGTON: 

GOV  EB  N  M  BNT    PRINTING    OFFII    IE 

1  889. 
L4056— Bull.  20—    I 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/experimeOOwile 


LETTER   OF   SUBMITTAL 


December  19,  1888. 
Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  herewith  the  manuscript  of  Bulletin 
No.  20,  being  the  report  of  experiments  in  the  manufacture  of  sugar  from 
. ! i n in  conducted  by  your  direction  during  the  season  of  1888. 
Respectfully, 

H.  W.  Wiley, 

Chemist. 
Hon.  Norman  J.  Colman, 

Commissioner  of  Agriculture, 


EXPERIMENTS  IN  THE  MANUFACTURE  OF   SUGAR 
FROM  SORGHUM. 


ASSIGNMENT   OF   WOBK. 

The  bill  making  an  appropriation  for  experiments  in  the  manufacture 
of  sugar  did  not  become  a  law  until  the  19th  of  July,  1888.  At  that  time 
it  was  manifestly  impossible  for  the  Department  to  make  any  arrange- 
ments of  its  own  for  the  conduct  of  experiments  during  the  present 
manufacturing  season.  It  was  necessary,  if  any  experiments  were  to 
be  made  at  all,  that  they  should  be  arranged  for  in  connection  with  work 
already  in  progress  either  by  individuals,  private  corporations,  or  State 
experiment  Stations.  The  following  arrangements  were  therefore  made 
for  the  experimental  work: 

(1)  A  continuation  of  the  experimental  work  at  Rio  Grande,  X.  J.,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Mr.  II.  A.  Hughes. 

(•i)  A  series  of  experiments  at  Keuner,  La.,  under  the  direction  of  Trot.  \V.  (J. 
Stubbs. 

(3)  Experimental  work  at  Douglass,  Kans..  under  the  direction  of  the  Douglass 
Sugar  Company. 

I  Experimental  work  at  Conway  Springs,  Kans.,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  E. 
W.  Deming. 

(5)  Experiments  in  the  improvement  in  the  varieties  of  cane  at  Sterling,  Kans., 
under  tin-  direction  of  Mr.  A.  A.  Denton. 

In  addition  to  the  above  work  arrangements  were  made  for  analytical 
researches  nnder  my  direction  at  Douglass,  Conway  Springs  and  Ster 
ling,  Kan  -.  It  was  deemed  n'nad\  isable  at  the  late  date  mentioned  for 
the  Department  to  Bnggest  any  experimental  work  or  assume  any  con- 
trol thereof.  Saving  been  authorized  to  arrange  for  such  work  in  a 
manner  w  liich  seemed  most  advantageous  tin*  following  directions  were 
given.  The  work  at  Ui<>  Grande  was  placed  exclusively  iu  charge  ol 
M  .  il.  A.  Bughes,  to  be  conducted  in  such  a  manner  as  lie  saw  lit  for 
the  benefil  of  the  industiy.  The  work  which  Mr.  Bughes  propose 
do  was  on  a  small  scale,  with  the  ultimate  idea  of  making  it  possible  for 
fanners  and  others  to  manufacture  sugar  without  the  expense  of  appa- 
ratus usually  considered  necessary  for  that  purpose.  The  results  of 
Mr.  Hughes's  woi  k  have  h.-en  reported  by  liim  further  on  in  this  bulletin, 
and  a  discussion  of  them  will  be  giveu  in  connection  with  his  report 


Prof.  W.  0.  Stnbbs  lftving  commenced  preparations  for  experimental 
work  wiih  sorghum  at  the  experiment  station  at  Kenner,  he  was  au- 
thorized to  complete  this  work  under  the  auspices  of  the  Department. 
No  instructions  in  regard  to  the  method  of  performing  the  work  were 
sent  Professor  Stnbbs,  except  to  do  that  which  seemed  best  for  the 
promotion  of  the  industry.  His  report  of  the  results  of  the  work  and 
the  discussion  thereof  will  follow. 

The  experimental  work  at  Douglass,  Ivans.,  was  placed  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  Douglass  Sugar  Company.  The  object  was  to  test  thor- 
oughly the  method  of  open  diffusion  practiced  on  a  small  scale  by  Mr. 
Hughes,  at  Rio  Grande,  and  they  conducted  the  work  under  the  general 
instructions  to  give  that  system  of  diffusion  and  the  apparatus  a  thor- 
ough and  impartial  test.  The  general  results  of  the  experimental  work 
at  the  station  are  given  in  the  report  of  Mr.  Edson,  with  a  discussion 
of  the  data  there  recorded. 

The  experimental  work  at  Conway  Springs  consisted  in  the  trial  of  a 
new  system  of  preparing  the  exhaust,  d  chips  for  fuel;  and  certain  new 
arrangements  of  apparatus  connected  with  the  diffusion  battery  and  of 
a  new  system  of  handling  and  storing  the  cane.  Xo  specific  instruc- 
tions were  given  to  .Mi-.  Deming  in  regard  to  the  conduct  of  the  work, 
but  he  was  left  free  to  use  his  own  judgment  in  every  particular  in 
regard  to  what  was  best  to  be  done.  Mr.  Deming's  report  and  the  dis- 
cussion thereof  will  follow. 

The  experimental  work  at  Sterling  was  of  an  entirely  different  order. 
The  Sterling  Sugar  Company  had  commenced  a  thorough  examination 
of  all  obtainable  varieties  of  the  sorghum  plant.  By  an  arrangement 
made  with  this  company,  the  Department  assumed  this  work  in  the 
condition  in  which  it  was  found  the  latter  part  of  .Inly  and  carried  it 
to  completion  under  the  supervision  of  .Messrs.  Denton  and  Craraptou, 
whose  report  and  observations  thereon  will  follow. 

The  following  assignment  of  the  chemical  force  of  the  division  was 
made  for  the  purpose  of  securing  analytical  data  of  the  season's  work. 

Mr.  Hughes  having  expressed  an  opinion  that  be  could  get  along  in- 
dependently of  any  chemical  assistance  from  the  Department,  no  assign- 
ment was  made  to  Bio  Grande.  Mr.  Edson  was  placed  in  charge  of 
the  chemical  work  at    Douglass,  assisted  by  Mr.  John   I,.  Fuelling. 

Pn  f.   B.  A.  VOIl  SchweiuitZ  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  chemical  work 

at  Conwaj  Springs,  assisted  by  Mr.  Oma  Carr.  Dr.  0.  A.  Cramptoo 
was  placed  in  charge  of  the  work  at  sterling,  assisted  by  Mr.  Karl  1\ 
McBlroy. 

h,  the  latter  part  Of  July  I  Visited  the  three  localities  last  named,  and 
arranged  with  the  proper    persons  for  the  establishment  ol'  the  labora- 
tories and  perfected  the  arrangements  for  the  chemical  coutrol  which 
desired.     In  September  and  October]  visited  each  of  the  labora- 
tories above  mentioned,  and  spent  some  days  with  the  chemists  in  charge 
ii.-ultation  concerning  the  progress  of  the  work  and  any  changes  or 


alterations  therein  wliicli  seemed  necessary.  The  results  of  the  chemi- 
cal work  in  each  case  will  be  found  in  connection  with  the  reports  of 
the  respective  stations. 

EXPERIMENTS  AT   RIO   GRANDE,   N.   J. 

The  result  of  the  work  at  Rio  Grande  is  disappointing  in  its  nature. 
For  some  reason  the  cane  grown  in  that  locality  has  failed  to  improve, 
although  it  appears  that  it  has  had. the  benefit  of  careful  attention  and 
fertilization.  There  has  beeu  upon  the  whole,  as  indicated  in  Bulletin 
18,  a  deterioration  of  the  cane  at  Eio  Grande,  the  crops  which  were 
raised  six  or  seven  years  ago  showing  a  higher  percentage  of  sucrose 
than  those  of  the  present  time.  This  deterioration  has  been  caused 
either  by  admixture  of  a  non-saccharine  variety  with  the  seed,  by  the 
method  of  culture,  or  by  the  influence  of  the  soil  and  climate  of  that 
locality.  I  am  inclined  to  attribute  much  of  the  depreciation  to  a  fault 
of  the  seed;  whether  or  not  it  has  been  mixed  with  broom-corn  lam 
unabh*  to  say.  The  almost  total  failure  of  the  amber  cane  at  Eio  Grande 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  some  such  accident  had  happened  to  it. 
While  amber  cane  in  other  localities  has  continued  to  show  a  high  per- 
centage of  sucrose  in  the  juice,  at  Eio  Grande  it  lias  become  *  worthless 
variety  for  sugar-making  or  even  the  production  of  sirup.  The  impor- 
tance of  seed  selection  is  emphasized  by  this  fact,  since  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  if  seed  of  the  early  amber,  such  as  was  planted 
at  Eio  Grande  seven  or  eight  years  ago,  were  again  planted  in  that 
locality  it  would  produce  an  equally  rich  crop  of  cane.  It  would  be  a 
useless  task,  however,  for  any  one  to  attempt  t  lie  successful  manufacture 
of  sugar  by  any  process  from  juices  no  richer  than  those  reported  by 
Mr.  Hughes  during  the  present  year;  such  canes  at  best  could  only 
make  molasses,  and  that  probably  of  an  inferior  character.  These 
agricultural  results  are  tin  more  discouraging  because  of  the  system- 
atic attempts  which  have  been  made  at   Rio  Grande  in  conjunction  with 

the  New  Jersey  experiment  station  for  the  production  of  a  high-grade 
cane;  these  are  not,  however,  sufficiently  discouraging  to  justify  aban- 
donment of  similar  attempts  in  other  localities.  In  respect  of  the  cli- 
mate at    Kio  Grande.  I  can  see  nothing  which  would  lead  me  to  believe 

that  it  is  unfavorable  to  the  growth  of  sorghum.  On  the  oilier  hand, 
the  climatic  conditions  appear  extremely  fa vorable,  unless  it  he  true 
that  sorghum  will  not  develop  a  maximum  content  of  sugar  in  localities 
favored  with  abundant  summer  rains.  Aside  from  this,  tin-  favorable 
conditions  for  growth  and  the  practical  immunity  from  earls  frosts  ren- 
der the  locality  a  most  favorable  one  for  the  production  and  manufact- 
ure of  a  crop  of  SOrgbum  cane.  The  soil  of  this  locality,  it  i^>  true,  is  not 
naturall.N  as  fertile  as  the  soil-,  of  Kansas,  but  with  t  he  judicious  fertili- 
zation which  has  been  practiced,  the  tonnage  p»  r  acre  has  been  fully  as 
great,  if  not  greater,  at  Kio  Grande  than  iii  nio^t  other  localities. 


8 

Id  regard  to  the  methods  of  manufacture  employed  at  this  station,  it 
is  necessary  to  speak  with  some  degree  of  caution.  In  the  report  of 
Mr.  Hughes  we  have,  from  his  stand-point,  a  brief  but  graphic  descrip- 
tion of  the  method  employed.  I  have  never  been  of  the  opinion  that 
sugar  making  from  sorghum  could  be  successfully  practiced  on  a  small 
scale,  and  the  experiments  carried  on  by  the  Department  of  Agriculture 
for  two  successive  seasons  at  Bio  Grande  have  only  served  to  confirm 
me  in  this  belief.  The  nature  of  the  processes  employed,  the  character 
of  machinery  required,  and  the  kind  of  skilled  labor  needed,  all  com- 
bine to  render  the  manufacture  of  sugar  on  a  small  scale  commercially 
unsuccessful.  I  do  not  see  any  favorable  result  in  this  direction  from 
the  two  years'  trial  at  Rio  Grande.  For  the  present  manufacturing 
season  .Mr.  Hughes  does  not  give  the  total  amount  of  sugar  made,  ex- 
cept from  a  portion  of  the  crop,  and  this  is  no  evidence  whatever  that 
its  cost  has  been  sufficiently  low  to  enable  it  to  be  put  upon  the  market 
in  competition  with  other  sugars.  I  should  have  been  glad  had  the  re 
suit  been  otherwise,  for  the  successful  inauguration  of  an  era  of  sugar 
making  conducted  by  farmers  would  have  been  a  great  blessing  to  vast 
agricultural  regions. 

In  regard  to  the  machinery  employed  my  opinion  has  already  been 
expressed.  I  have  said  repeatedly,  both  in  official  publications  and  in 
other  places,  that  I  regarded  the  system  of  cutting  and  preparing  the 
cane  devised  by  Mr.  Hughes,  and  now  in  use  in  every  sorghum  factory 
in  the  United  States  and  in  at  least  one  cane  sugar  factory,  as  the  very 
besl  which  has  yet  been  invented.  I  have  long  been  convinced  that 
for  the  extraction  of  sugar  from  cane  of  both  kinds  the  greater  the  de- 
gree <»f  comminution  of  the  chips  the  more  successful  the  pr<  cess  will 
be.  The  system  of  double  shredding  inaugurated  by  Mr.  Hughes  during 
the  past  season  tends  to  secure  this  end.  It  was  in  this  direction  also 
that  I  urged  last  year  for  sugar-cane  the  construction  of  a  shredding- 

machine  on  the  principle  of  the  shredder  built  by  the  Newell  Universal 
Mill  Company  of  New  York,  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  the  pieces  of 
cane  properly  for  the  diffusion  battery.  This  shredder  I  suggested 
should  be  furnished  with  very  line  steel  knives,  Of  the  general  pattern 
of  the   shredder    now  in    use,  with   .short    cylinders   of    large  diameter, 

driven  at  a  very  much  higher  rate  of  speed.  Last  year  1  suggested  to 
Mr.  1'iske,  the  inventor  of  the  tnachiue  above  mentioned,  the  advis- 
ability of  building  such  a  machine  in  duplicate  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
ducing the  cane  to  as  ftue  pieces  as  possible.      The  advantage  of  such  a 

shredder  as  this  over  the  one  used  by  Mi-.  Hughes  would  be  principally 
in  its  greater  strength,  and  in  the  assurance  that  it  could  be  run  for 
days,  and  pei haps  a  whole  season  through,  without  any  necessity  for 
repairs,     n  js  of  the  highest  importance  thai  the  apparatus  for  cutting 

and  pulping  the  cane  should  he  as  effect  i\e  as  possible  and  built  in  two 
sets,  so  that  if  one  should  be  out  of  order  the  second  could  still  be 
used. 


In  regard  to  the  system  of  diffusion  practiced  at  the  Rio  Grande  sta- 
tion, and  described  in  Bulletin  18,  further  experience  only  leads  me  to 
emphasize  what  was  said  in  that  bulletin,  viz  : 

The  defects  of  the  system  were  both  mechanical  and  chemical. 

The  mechanical  difficulty  is  the  same  as  that  which  attends  all  methods  of  diffusion 

in  which  the  cane  chips  are  moved  instead  of  the  diffusion  liquors.  From  a  mechan- 
ical point  of  view  it  is  far  easier  and  more  economical  to  move  a  liquid  in  a  series  of 
vessels  than  a  mass  of  chips.  In  the  Hughes  system  the  whole  mass  of  chips  under 
going  diffusion,  together  with  adhering  liquor,  and  baskets  and  suspending  apparatus- 
are  lilied  vertically  a  distance  of  several  feet,  varying  with  the  depth  of  the  diffusion, 
tanks,  every  few  minutes.  The  mechanical  energy  required  to  do  this  work  is  enor- 
mous, and  with  large  batteries  the  process  would  prove  almost  impossible. 

The  truth  of  this  view  will  be  further  illustrated  in  the  report  of  the 
Douglass  Sugar  Company.  For  very  small  batteries  working  only  a 
few  tons  a  day  this  system  might  possibly  be  employed,  but  I  doubt 
even  then  if  it  could  be  economical^  worked.  This  opinion  of  mine, 
as  will  be  seen,  is  at  total  variance  with  that  expressed  by  Mr.  Hughes, 
and  those  who  propose  to  become  practically  interested  in  the  matter 
will  have  to  decide  upon  the  merits  of  the  two  systems  of  diffusion  after 
a  personal  investigation. 

Mr.  Hubert  Edsou,  who  has  had  two  years'  experience  with  the  open 
system  of  diffusion,  made  the  following  statements  relating  thereto  in 
the  Loasiana  Planter  and  Sugar  Manufacturer  of  December  1, 1SSS.  His 
report  refers  to  the  battery  used  at  Douglass,  Kans.,  during  the  season 
of  1888 : 

The  battery  was  built  from  plans  secured  directly  from  Mr.  Hughes,  and  with  one 
or  two  slight  changes  was  worked  throughout  the  season.  The  main  battery  con- 
sisted of  ten  cells,  open  at  the  top  to  admit  the  baskets  in 'which  the  chips  were 
placed  for  diffusion.  These  baskets,  mad.-  of  strong  boiler-iron,  were  attached  to  the 
arms  of  a  crane,  which  was  raised,  rotated,  and  lowered  till  the  requisite  number  of 
immersions  was  obtained.  Besid<  s  these  ten  cells  there  was  an  extra  one  of  the  same 
dimensions  placed  just  outside  and  within  reach  of  the  arms  from  the  large  crane. 
This  arrangement  was  intended  to  secure  a  dense  diffusion  juice,  allowing,  as  the 
diffusion  progressed,  the  heavicsl  juice  from  two  of  the  cells  of  the  main  battery  to 
be  drawn  into  the  outside  cell,  and  which  there  received  two  baskets  of  fresh  chips 
before  being  empl  ied. 

This  manner  of  operating  the  battery  will,  it  is  claimed  by  the  inventor,  give  a 
juice  almost  as  dense  as  ,i  corresponding  mill  juice  In  my  opinion,  however,  no 
greater  advantage  is  secured  by  the  eleventh  cell  being  outside  the  main  battery 
than  by  the  same  Dumber  arranged  in  regular  order.  Certainly,  at  Donglass,  'he  re- 
sults claimed  by  the  inventor  were  not  even  approximated.  The  outside  cell  also 
eu tailed  an  extra  amount  of  labor  in  transferring  the  basket  from  the  small  crane,  to 
which  it  was  attached  during  it-  immersion,  to  the  largo  crane  of  the  main  battery. 

So  much  for  the  manner  of  working  the  battery.  Now  foi  the  things  thai  are  of 
actual  \alue  t<.  the  Bugar  planters,  the  results  obtained,  and  the  expenses  incident  to 
such  results. 

M"  hue  i.  "i  an\  kind  to  lie  effective  should  require  a  minimum  of  human  tabor. 
Let  us  see  bo*  the  Hughes  butter;  compares  with  the  ordinary  form.  At  Douglass 
the  batU  rj  was  designed  to  work  LOO  tons  of  cane  daily,  ami  to  do  this  at  least  eight 
men  were  accessary  toshtfl  the  baskets  to  their  different  places.  Half  of  this  num- 
ber would  run  a  olose  battery  ami  liu'i  the  work  easier,  since  they  would  have  no 
baskets  weighing  1,000  pounds  each  to  bandle. 


10 

Besides  this  manual  labor  the  whole  ten  baskets  had  to  be  raised  every  time  oue 
was  filled  or  emptied.  A  large  hydraulic  pump  is  used  for  this  work  and  of  itself 
requires  more  power  than  is  necessary  to  run  a  battery  of  closed  cells.     This  extra 

1>o\y<  rand  labor  would  not  mn  ssarily  condemn  the  apparatus  if  such  superior  results 
obtained  as  to  overcome  the  expense.  But  instead  of  this,  exactly  the  reverse 
iccomplished.  Not  much  better  extraction  was  secured  than  is  obtained  by 
the  ordinary  cane-mill  of  Louisiana,  and  this  only  with  a  dilution  of  nearly  oil  pel 
cent.,  causing  an  extia  cxpeuse  of  no  small  amount  for  evaporation.  Then,  also,  the 
quality  of  the  juice  obtained  was  extremely  poor.  The  almost  constant  exposure 
to  the  air  and  especially  in  iron  vessels  blackened  it  to  such  a  degree  thai  no  good 
sugars  could  be  made  from  it.  Clarification  was  nearly  impossible  witb  any  of  the 
ordinary  re- agent 8  in  the  sugar-house.  This  was  extremely  unfortunate  in  Kansas,  as 
the  greatest  profits  are  made  on  material  sold  to  the  home  market. 

Full  reports  of  the  chemical  work  at  Iiio  Grande  are  contained  in 
Bulletin  51,  New  Jersey  Experiment  Station. 


As  has  been  mentioned  before,  Prof.  W.  C.  Stabbs  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  experiments  which  were  arranged  for  in  connection  with 
the  Louisiana  sugar  experiment  station  at  Kenncr  and  the  stations  at 
Baton  Rouge  and  Calhoun.  For  two  previous  seasons  Professor  Stabbs 
had  made  extensive  experiments  with  sorghum,  which  are  fully  reported 
in  the  bulletins  of  the  Louisiana  experiment  station  and  in  Bulletin  No. 
1^  of  this  division.  A  study  of  the  analytical  data  of  the  three  years' 
work  in  Louisiana  shows  in  an  emphatic  way  the  peculiarities  ofsorghum 
which  have  rendered  so  difficult  the  successful  inauguration  of  sugar- 
making  from  that  plant.  The  great  variations  in  the  content  of  Bucrose 
in  the  juices  of  the  plant,  its  susceptibility  to  injury  by  storms  and  other 
unforeseen  causes,  are  strikingly  set  forth  in  the  analytical  figures  which 
follow.  In  my  opinion  the  production  of  a  variety  of  sorghum-cane 
suitable  to  the  soil  and  climate  of  the  sugar  lands  of  Louisiana  will  be 
a  work'  of  no  small  difficulty.  From  the  results  of  the  work  already 
done,  and  especially  during  the  last  year,  an  account  of  which  is  con- 
tained in  the  appended  report  of  Professor  Stnbbs,  it  Is  clearly  seen 
thai  a  season  which  has  produced  a  sugarcane  very  rich  in  sucrose  in 
the  State  of  Louisiana  has  produced  a  sorghum  crop  w  Inch  is  absolutely 
worthless  for  sugar-making  for  commercial  purposes.  Another  poiut 
illustrated  by  the  report  is  brought  out  in  the  reference  to  the  past  work 
of  the  station,  in  which,  although  a  cane  was  produced  whose  juice  was 
on  ably  rich  in  sucrose,  its  practical  working  in  the  sugar  factory  was 
found  most  difficult.  Cn  the  report  this  is  ascribed  to  the  presence  of 
quantities  of  dextrine  or  dextrine  like  bodies  supposed  to  be  <1<- 
rived  from  the  starch  originally  present  in  the  juice.  H  is  the  opinion 
of  Professor  Stubbs  that  starch  and  sucrose  are  developed  in  the  sor- 
ghum paripmsu,  In  this  case  it  would  be  found  that  the  direct  polaii 
zation  of  a  sorghum  juice  rich  in  sugar  would  show  apparently  a  much 
higher  content  of  sucrose  than  was  actually  present,  since  dextrine  and 


11 

its  allied  bodies  are  mttcli  more  strongly  dextro  gyratory  than  sucrose. 
The  points  developed  by  the  experiments  may  be  summarized  as  follows  : 

(1 )  Sorghum  cane  develops  sometimes  iu  Louisiana  a  juice  containing 
a  very  high  percentage  of*  sucrose,  but  combined  with  other  bodies  which 
render  its  separation  from  the  juice  difficult. 

(2)  The  occurrence  of  a  wet  summer  attended  by  the  severe  wind 
storms  which  are  so  common  in  that  locality  prevent  the  development 
of  a  high  sucrose  content  in  the  growing  sorghum. 

(3)  The  possible  utilization  of  sugar  machinery  for  a  longer  manu- 
facturing season  is  one,  of  the  chief  inducements  in  the  sugar  cane 
regions  for  the  cultivation  of  sorghum  as  a  sugar-producing  plant. 

(4)  Delay  in  working  the  cane  after  cutting  is  not  as  dangerous  as 
has  been  supposed. 

It  will  be  understood  that  these  aie  conclusions  which  I  have  drawn 
from  reading  Professor  Stubbs's  report,  and  are  not  formulated  in  the 
above  manner  by  himself. 

The  results  of  attempts  to  grow  sorghum  for  sugar-making  purposes 
on  the  low  sugar-lands  of  Louisiana,  in  my  opinion,  are  not  highly  en- 
couraging to  the  belief  that  these  lands  and  their  climate  are  the  best 
suited  in  the  United  States  for  the  production  of  sorghum,  as  Professor 
Stubbs  says.  On  the  other  hand,  1  believe  there  are  few  localities  in 
the  United  States,  where  sorghum  grows  at  all,  in  which  a  better  crop 
for  sugar-making  purposes  can  not  be  produced.  Experience  has  shown 
that  the  dry  climate  of  southern  and  western  Kansas  produces  the  most 
uniform  crop  of  sorghum  for  sugar  leaking  purposes,  while  the  data  of 
Professor  Stubbs,  which  follow,  show  that  the  Louisiana  product,  for  the 
present  year  at  least,  is  about  the  poorest  on  record.  One  point,  how- 
ever, should  he  borne  in  mind,  viz,  that  the  course  of  experiment  pur- 
sued by  the  Louisiana  experiment  station  is  the  one  which  is  best  suited 
for  the  rapid  development  of  every  possibility  of  sorghum  culture  in 
that  Stale.  The  experimental  trials  which  are  made  with  sorghum  will 
show  both  its  weal;  and  strong  points,  and  in  the  wide  variation  which 
the  plant  shows  there  will  doubtless  be  some  variety  produced  <>r  found 
which  will  be  best  suited  to  the  peculiar  conditions  which  obtain  in  that 
locality.  The  soil  and  climatic  conditions  of  the  northern  put  of  the 
State,  where  cotton  is  now  grown,  will  probably  be  found  better  suited 
to  tie-  production  of  sorghum  than  those  of  the  present  sugar-producing 
localities.  I  feel  quite  sure  that  the  expectation  expressed  by  Prof< 
stubbs  of  being  able  to  realize  u\u\rv  eertaiu  conditions  as  much  as  120 

to    1_\">   pounds  of  sugar  from    BOrghuni  cane    may  be   fully   met    under 

favorable  circumstances;  but  it  would  .still  remain  to  be  demonstrated 
that  this  \  ield  could  be  reasonably  expected  from  year  to  year,  or  even 

Occasionally,  on  a  large  scale.      The  Subsequent  experiments  which  are 

promised  by  Professor  St ubbs  at  the  Louisiana  station  will  doubtless 
S(,(  :lt  ^St,  in  a  few  years,  all  these  questions,  and  demonstrate  to  the 
sugar  makers  of  Louisiana jnst  what  can  be  expected  from  sorghum  as 
an  adjunct  t  »  thru   great  indiistn  . 


12 

EXPERIMENTS   AT   CONWAY    SPRINGS. 

In  the  reports  of  Messrs.  Deiniug  and  von  Schweinitz  which  follow, 
together  with  the  analytical  tables,  much  interesting  information  may 
be  found  in  regard  to  the  sorghum  sugar  industry  in  Kansas.  The  suc- 
cessful continuation  of  the  work  at  Fort  Scott  has  encourged  the  be- 
lief in  the  .possibility  of  a  speedy  establishment  of  a  sorghum -sugar 
industry  in  Kansas  on  a  large  scale.  The  unfortunate  financial  out- 
come of  the  work  at  Conway  Springs  shows  that  much  is  yet  to  be 
Leai  ned  by  those  entering  upon  this  industry  before  success  can  be  con- 
fidently predicted.  A  discussion  of  the  chemical  data  collected  at  Con- 
way Springs  will  be  found  in  connection  with  the  analytical  tables.  It 
is  proper  to  say  here,  however,  that  the  sorghum  juices  of  the  crop 
grown  at  Conway  Springs  show  a  higher  content  of  sucrose  than  any 
large  crop  which  has  ever  before  been  produced  in  the  United  States. 
This  high  content  of  sucrose  which  appeared  in  the  erop  alter  the  mid- 
dle of  September,  as  indicated  by  the  analysis  of  the  juices,  was  con- 
tinued until  the  close  of  the  working  season  in  November.  The  sam- 
ples of  chips  taken  from  the  cells  of  the  battery  showed  in  their  juices 
a  high  content  of  sucrose  uniformly;  much  higher,  in  fact,  than  would 
be  indicated  by  the  output  of  sugar.  One  reason,  doubtless,  lor  this 
was  the  exceptionally  dry  season  diminishing  the  content  of  water  in 
the  cane  and  thus  increasing  the  percentage  of  sucrose  in  the  juice. 
This  fact,  though  not  established  by  the  determination  of  the  liber  in 
the  cane,  is  plainly  indicated  by  two  other  facts  developed  by  the  analyt- 
ical work,  viz,  the  diminished  extraction  when  using  the  small  mill  at 
the  same  pressure  as  the  season  progressed  and  the  high  con  ten  I  of 
total  solids  in  the  juices.  The  output  of  sugar  was  evidently  dimin- 
ished by  the  character  of  the  water  used  in  diffusion,  but  that  would 
bo  unable  to  account  for  the  small  yield  of  crystallizable  sugar  obtained 
with  juices  of  the  richness  of  those  worked.  Experiments  made  by 
boiling  a  solution  of  pure  sugar  with  the  water  used  in  diffusion  at 
Conway  Springs  proved  that  the  presence  of  a  large  amount  of  gypsum 
did  not  tend  to  increase  the  inversion  of  sucrose;  that  it  may,  however, 
have  interfered  with  the  crystallization  of  the  sucrose  is  a  fact  which 
can  scarcely  be  denied.     The  actual  output  of  sugar  at  Conway  Springs, 

in  my  opinion,  would  have  been  considerably  larger  had  pure  water  been 
employed  in  the  diffusion  battery;  nevertheless,  the  important  fact 
remains  that  the  yield  of  crystallizable  sugar  was  wholly  disproportional 

to  the  richness  of  the  juices  worked,  showing  that,  the  bigh  ratio  of 
BUCrose  \m^  not  obtained  at  the  expense  of  the  solids  not  sugar  in  the 
juices.  In  other  words,  it  appears  that  a  cane  whose  juice  is  normal  in 
quantity,  say   about    1)0    per    cent,   of   the    total    weight,   ami    having   a 

content  of  sugar  equal  to  10  per  cent.,  with  total  solids  at  16  per  cent., 
will  yield  fully  as  much,  if  not  more,  sugar  than  a  cine  whose  juice  is 
abnormal,  saj  not  more  than  80  per  cent,  of  the  total  weight,  with  12  per 
cent,  of  sucrose  and  18  or  20  per  cent*  oi  total  solids.    Another  impor* 


13 

taut  fact  developed  by  a  study  of  the  data  obtained  at  Conway  Springs 
is  the  persistence  of  the  sugar  content  in  the  juice  after  the  cane  was 
fully  ripened.  In  localities  where  considerable  moisture  may  be  ex- 
pected in  the  soil  as  a  result  of  frequent  rains  during  the  manufactur- 
ing season  it  has  been  noticed  that  there  is  a  rapid  deterioration  of  the 
juices,  beginning  a  short  time  after  complete  maturation.  This  has  been 
especially  noticed  in  the  experience  at  the  Rio  Grande  station.  It  has 
also  been  noticed  by  all  careful  observers  of  sorghum  grown  in  ordinary 
localities.  The  inspissatiou  of  the  juices  by  the  natural  causes  of  an 
extremely  dry  climate  appears  to  protect  the  sugar  from  this  destruc- 
tion. This  is  a  point  of  the  greatest  interest  to  sorghum-growers,  to 
whom  the  preservation  of  the  sugar  in  the  juice  for  a  reasonable  length 
of  time  is  a  matter  of  the  greatest  consideration.  In  the  process  of  dif- 
fusion this  thickening  of  the  juice  entails  no  loss,  although  if  milling 
were  used  for  expressing  the  juice  the  loss  would  be  a  most  serious  one. 
The  above  explanation  of  the  character  of  the  juice  at  Conway  Springs 
is  offered  with  some  degree  of  hesitation,  since  I  am  fully  aware  of  the 
danger  of  drawing  conclusions  in  sorghum  work  from  a  too  limited  num- 
ber of  observations. 

The  manufacturing  operations  at  Conway  Springs  were  greatly  hin- 
dered by  faults  in  the  machinery,  which  could  scarcely  be  avoided  when 
the  short  time  allowed  for  the  manufacture  and  erection  of  the  same  is 
considered.  Instead  of  taking  tin  ee  months  for  the  erection  of  a  sugar 
factory,  a  whole  year  is  none  too  long  a  time,  and  disaster,  for  at  least 
one  year,  is  certain  to  attend  attempts  to  erect  such  machinery  in  the 
time  allowed  at  Conway  Springs. 

What  is  needed  now  in  the  sorghum-sugar  industry  is  the  manufact- 
ure of  sugar  at  a  rate  which  will  enable  the  manufacturer  to  compete 
with  sugar  from  other  pints  of  the  world.  A  great  step  in  tins  direc- 
tion will  be  secured  when  the  kind  of  machinery  which  has  been  pointed 
out  by  the  investigations  of  the  Department  as  necessary  to  success 
shall  be  constructed  by  skilled  machinists  and  erected  by  skilled  engi- 
neers, with  time  enough  at  t  heir  disposal  to  finish  their  work  before  the 

manufacturing  season  begins.    Some  further  remarks  on  this  subject 

will  be  made  in  another  place. 

Prom  a  commercial  point  of  view,  the  results  of  the  work  at  Conway 

Springs   are  wholly  disappointing.     To   the   person,  however,  who   will 

take  pains  to  inform  himself  in  regard  to  the  conditions  w  Inch  there 
obtained,  many  points  of  encouragement  will  be  found  in  spite  of  the 
financial  failure  of  the  fust  season's  work. 

EXPERIMENTS    LT    DOl  GL  LSS,    B  LNS, 

The  practical  experiments  carried  on  at    Douglass  consisted  in   a 

thorough   trial   of  the  open  s\stem  of  diffusion  (the  Bughes  System)   to 

test  its  fitness  for  working  on  a  large  scale.     For  the  details  of  the  con- 


14 

struction  of  the  battery  I  refer  to  the  report  of  Mr.  Edson.  In  regard 
to  its  working  in  general,  I  may  say  that  it  was  a  total  failure,  both  as 
to  economy  of  power  ami  success  of  extraction.  The  financial  diffi- 
culties which  were  met  with  by  the  company  during-  the  year  were  at- 
tributed largely  to  the  nse  of  this  battery.  The  evaporating  apparatus 
in  use  at  Douglass  was  of  first-class  quality  and  arranged  in  a  practical 
manner.  The  system  of  clarification  tanks,  double  effects,  and  strike 
pan  was  as  good  as  could  be  desired  for  sugar-making  purposes.  Had 
the  company  adopted  the  system  of  diffusion  erected  by  the  Department 
at  Fort  Scott,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  even  during  the 
first  season  it  would  have  paid  all  expenses  and  made  a  reasonable 
profit.  The  attempt  to  introduce  a  new  and  untried  system  on  a  huge 
scale  shows  the  danger  which  too  often  besets  the  introduction  of  a  new 
enterprise.  The  promoters  of  such  an  enterprise,  not  satisfied  with 
what  has  been  accomplished,  attempt  to  follow  new  paths,  which  often 
lead  to  unknown  and  unwished  for  localities.  It  is  best  in  any  enter- 
prise to  accept  what  has  been  proved  of  value  and  not  jeopardize  the 
success  of  a  commercial  undertaking  by  introducing  in  its  place  a  kind 
of  experiment,  which,  failing,  would  destroy  all  prospects  of  success. 
As  will  be  seen  by  the  analytical  tables  accompanying  the  Douglass 
report,  the  crop  was  of  lair  quality,  showing  about  the  average  per- 
centage of  sucrose  developed  in  Kansas  during  the  last  two  or  three 
years.  The  soil  on  which  most  of  the  crop  was  raised  was  somewhat 
richer  in  vegetable  matter  and  contained  less  sand  than  the  soil  at 
Conway  Springs.  The  climatic  conditions  of  the  two  places  were  so 
uearly  identical  as  to  make  apparently  but  little  difference j  yet  it  must 
be  conceded  that  at  Douglass  the  hot  dry  winds  produced  less  effect 
than  at  Conway  Springs.  There  did  not  appear  to  be  the  same  drying 
ii])  of  the  juice,  which  may  account  to  some  extent  for  the  percentage 
of  sucrose  therein  being  less.  The  agricultural  results,  however,  were 
of  the  most  encouraging  nature,  showing  that  in  this  locality  a  crop  of 
sorghum  cane  can  be  grown  which,  with  proper  treatment,  may  be  ex- 
pected to  yield  from  .SO  to  90  pounds  Of  sugar  per  ton  of  clean  cane. 
Not  only  were  the  actual  results  rendered  unfavorable  by  the  kind  of 
battery  employed,  but,  aside  from  this,  for  some  reason  the  centrifugals 

used  proved  i<>  be  wholly  inadequate  to  the  severe  task  imposed  upon 

them.  The  drying  of  sorghum  sugar  is  at  best  a  difficult  task,  and  only 
the  best  approved  centrifugal  apparatus  should  ever  be  employed  for 

this  purpose.  Had  the  battery  at  Douglass  worked  successfully  much 
delay  would  have  been  experienced  in  the  manufacture  of  the  crop  by 
the  imperfections  above  noted  in  the  centrifugal  machines. 

EXPERIMENTS   AT   STERLING,  KANS. 

At  the  very  beginning  of  my  connection  with  the  experiments  in  the 

manufacture  Of  sugar  from  sorghum  I  realized  the  importance  of  improv- 


15 

ing  tbe  quality  or  uic  cane  to  be  usee].  In  Bulletin  No.  3,  page  107,  I 
made  the  following  statements  : 

The  future  success  of  tbe  industry  depends  on  the  following  conditions,  viz: 
(1)  A  careful  selection  and  improvement  of  the  seed  with  a  view  of  increasing  the 
proportion  of  sin  i 

\  definition  of  geographical  limits  of  successful  culture  and  manufacture. 

(3)  A  better  method  of  purifying  the  juices. 

(4)  A  more  complete  separation  of  t  lie  sugar  from  the  canes. 

(5)  A  more  complete  separation  of  the  sugar  from  the  molasses. 

(6)  A  systematic  utilization  of  the  by  products. 

(7)  A  careful  nutrition  and  improvement  of  the  soil. 

IMPROVEMENT   BY   skid   8ELECTION. 

I  am  fully  convinced  that  the  Government  should  undertake  the  experiments  which 
have  in  view  the  increase'  of  the  ratio  of  sucrose  to  the  other  substances  in  the  juice. 
These  experiments,  to  be  valuable,  must  continue  cinder  proper  scientific  direction 
for  a  number  of  \  ears.  The  cost  w  ill  be  so  great  that  a  private  citizen  will  hardly  ho 
willing  to  undertake  the  expense. 

The  history  of  the  improvement  in  the  sugar  beet  should  be  sufficient  to  encourage 
all  similar  efforts  Vi  ilh  sorghum. 

The  original  forage  beet,  from  which  the  sugar  beet  has  been  developed,  contained 
only  5  or  6  per  cent,  of  sucrose.  The  sugar  beet  low  will  average  In  per  cent.*  of 
siicro>c.  It  seems  to  me  that  a  lew  years  of  careful  selection  may  secure  a  similar 
improvement  in  sorghum. 

It  would  be  a  long  step  toward  the  solution  of  the  problem  to  secure  a  sorghum 
that  would  average,  lie  id  with  field,  12  per  cent,  sucrose  and  only  '2  per  cent,  of  other 
sugars,  and  with  such  cane  the  great  difficulty  would  be  to  make  sirup  and  not  sugar. 
Those  varieties  and  individuals  of  each  variety  of  cane  which  show  the  best  analyt- 
ical icsults  should  be  carefully  selected  for  seed,  and  this  selection  continued  until 
accidental  variations  become  hereditary  qualities  in  harmony  with  the  well-known 
principles  <>:'  descent. 

It'  these  experiments  in  selection  could  be  made  in  different  parts  of  the  country, 
and  especially  the  various  agricultural  stations  and  colleges,  they  would  have  addi- 
tional value  and  force.  In  a  country  whose  soil  and  climate  are  as  diversified  as  in 
this,  results  obtained  in  one  locality  are  not  always  reliable  tor  another. 

It'  some  ui  itv  of  action  could  in  this  way  be  established  among  th<  tjed  in 

agricultural  research,  much  time  and  labor  would  be  saved  and  more  valuable  results 
be  obtained. 

In  a  summary  of  the  methods  which  1  had  advocated  for  the  im- 
provement ol  the  sorghum  plant,  I  said  in  an  address  before  the  National 
Sugar  Growers9  Association  in  Saint  Louis,  in  February,  l 

Finally,  our  experiments  have  taught  us  that  after  all  the  mechanical  difficulties 
which  have  beeu  enumerated  in  the  manufacture  <  from  sorghum  have  been 

overcome,  the  industry  can  not  become  commercially  successful  until  the  scientific 
agronomist  succeeds  in  producing  a  sorghum  plant  with  a  reasonably  high  and  uni- 
form content  of  mii  in-'  and  a  minimum  oi  other  substances.  This  work  is  peculiarly 
the  function  of  our  Agricultural  experiment  stations,  in  beet  sugar-producing  coun- 
tries the  production  of  the  seed  for  planting  is  a  distinct  branch  of  the  industry.    So, 

[u  the  six  years  thai  bave  passed  si  uco  the  above  was  written  f  he  sugar  bc< 
been  still  further  improved  and  its  mean  percentage  of  sucrose  qo  \  amouuts  t 
haps  12, 


1G 

too,  it  must  bo  with  sorghum.  A  carofnl  scientific  selection  of  the  secdd  of  those 
plants  .showing  the  best  sugar-producing  qualities,  their  proper  planting  aud  culti- 
vation, a  wise  choice  of  locality  and  soil,  a  proper  appreciation  of  the  Inst  methods 
of  culture,  these  are  all  factors  which  must  be  taken  into  consideration  in  the  suc- 
;1  solution  of  the  problem. 

It  was  with  this  purpose  in  view  that  1  made  the  arrangements  with 
the  Sterling  Sirup  Company  by  which  the  Department  assumed  control  of 
the  experiments  which  they  had  commenced  in  the  cultivation  of  different 
varieties  of  sorghum.  At  the  time  this  arrangement  was  made.  viz.  in  the 
latter  part  of  July,  Mr.  A.  A.  Denton  was  already  in  charge  thereof  for 
the  Sterling  Sirup  Company,  and  he  was  appointed  to  continue  in 
general  charge  under  the  direction  of  the  Department.  It  was  arranged 
with  Mr.  Denton  that  the  general  line  of  research  should  be  such  as  is  in- 
dicated in  the  above  statements  of  the  purposes  in  view.  The  chemists 
who  were  sent  to  take  charge  of  the  analytical  work  were  instructed  to 
co-operate  with  Mr.  Denton  in  such  a  way  as  to  secure  favorable  results 
aud  to  make  such  suggestions  as  might  seem  valuable  in  the  details  of 
the  work.  Mr.  Denton  was  requested  to  make  a  general  study  of  the 
growth  of  the  different  varieties  and  of  the  habits  of  each  one  with  refer- 
ence to  its  litiiess  as  a  sugar  plant.  The  most  promising  individuals  of 
each  variety  were  to  he  selected  for  experimental  purposes,  and  those 
showing  the  highest  content  of  sucrose  with  the  lowest  content  of  other 
substances  were  to  be  preserved  for  future  planting.  The  able  manner 
in  which  Mr.  Denton  accomplished  this  work,  assisted  by  the  chemists 
of  the  Department,  will  be  found  in  his  detailed  report.  I  regard  it  of 
the  highest  importance  to  the  future  success  of  the  industry  that  the 
line  of  work  thus  commenced  by  the  Department  should  be  continued. 

One  great  difficulty  with  which  we  have  to  contend  is  in  the  charac- 
ter of  the  appropriations  made  for  the  experimental  work.  I  have 
called  attention  to  this  difficulty  iii  former  reports,  and  1  wish  to  empha- 
size the  matter  here.  Tin4  tiseal  year  in  all  Government  affairs  begins 
on  the  1st  of  July.  For  investigations  in  agriculture  no  more  unl'ortu- 
uate  beginning  of  the  year  could  be  selected.    On  the  1st  of  July  it  is 

too  late  to  commence  experiments  for  that  .season  ;  if  these  experiments 
be  postponed  till  the  next  season  arrangements  can  be  made  for  their 
continuation  only  up  to  the  1st  of  t  lie  next  July,  and  thus  the\  have  to  be 
stopped  before  they  are  Well  begun.  The  difficulty  iS  extremely  mani- 
fest in  the  present  instance.  The  wisdom  and  value  of  continuing  the 
experiments  at  Sterling  last  year  will  be  denied  by  no  one.  Abundant 
funds  are  left  over  from  the  present  year's  appropriation  to  continue  the 
experiments  for  another  season  :  it  is,  however,  unwise  to  make  any  ar- 
ementfi  For  BUCh  work,  .since  no  pari  Of  it,  except  that  which  will  be 

let  out  b\  contract,  could  be  continued  after  the  1st  of  July,  1889.  Von 
thus  find  your  hands  tied,  as  it  were,  by  the  unfortunate  disposition  of 
the  experimental  year  which  has  to  begin  and  end  with  the  fiscal  year. 

To  avoid  this  difficulty,  which  has  been  one  of    the   greatest    causes  of 

the  disasters  which  have  attended  our  experiments  with  sorghum,  I 


17 

earnestly  recommend  that  all  appropriations  for  field  and  manufactur- 
ing experiments  in  agricultural  matters  be  made  to  take  effect  from  the 
1st  of  January  each  year  instead  of  the  1st  of  July. 

POINTS  TO  BE  CONSIDERED   IN  BUILDING  A  FACTORY. 

It  is  of  the  utmost  importance,  both  for  the  individuals  and  the  in- 
dustry, that  intending  investors  in  the  sugar  business  should  carefully 
consider  the  problem  presented  to  them  in  all  its  forms.  Failure  is  not 
only  a  personal  calamity  but  a  public  one  in  that  it  deters  capital  from 
investment  in  an  industry  which,  properly  pursued,  gives  promise  of  a 
fair  interest  on  the  money  invested. 

Soil  and  climate. — The  importance  of  soil  and  climate  has  already 
been  discussed.  In  the  light  of  present  experience  it  must  be  con- 
ceded that  a  soil  and  climate  similar  to  those  of  southern  and  western 
Kansas  are  best  suited  to  the  culture  of  sorghum  for  sugar-making 
purposes.  Further  investigations  may  show  that  Texas  and  Louisiana 
present  equally  as  favorable  conditions,  but  this  yet  awaits  demonstra- 
tion. Conditions  approximately  similar  to  those  mentioned  can  doubt- 
less be  found  in  Arkansas,  Tennessee,  North  Carolina  and  other  locali- 
ties. The  expectations  which  were  entertained  and  positively  advocated 
a  few  years  ago  of  the  establishment  of  a  successful  sorghum  industry 
in  the  great  maize  fields  of  the  country  must  now  be  definitely  aban- 
doned. He  who  would  now  advise  the  building  of  a  sorghum  sugar 
factory  in  northern  Illinois,  Indiana,  Iowa,  or  Wisconsin  would  either 
betray  his  ignorance  or  his  malignity.  A  season  of  manufacture, 
reasonably  certain  for  sixty  days,  is  an  essential  condition  to  success  in 
the  manufacture  of  sorghum  sugar.  Early  frosts  falling  on  cane  still 
Immature,  or  a  freezing  temperature  on  ripe  cane  followed  by  warm 
weather,  are  alike  fatal  toa  favorable  issue  of  the  attempt  to  make  sugar. 
Sober  and  careful  men  will  not  be  misled  by  the  claims  of  the  enthusi- 
ast, by  the  making  of  a  few  thousand  pounds  of  sugar  in  Miuuesola, 
by  the  graining  of  whole  barrels  of  molasses  in  Iowa.  Four  or  five 
million  acres  of  land  will  produce  all  the  sugar  this  country  can  con- 
sume for  many  years  and  these  acres  should  be  located  where  the  cli 
matic  conditions  are  most  favorable.  During  the  past  season  si  rghum 
cane  matured  as  far  north  as  Topeka,  but  in  1886  the  cane  crop  at  Port 
Scott  was  ruined  by  a  heavy  frost  on  the  29th  of  September,  and  ill 

a  like  misfortune  happened  at  Ottawa,  Cans.,  on  the  4th  of  October. 

These  interesting  facts  show  that   these  points  are  on  the  extreme 

northern  limits  of  safety  for  sorghum-sugar  making,  ami  the  region  of 
SQCCeSS  will  he  found  to  the  south    and  west  of  them. 

Natural  fertility  of  soil  must  also  he  considered  as  well  as  favorable 
climate.  The  Bandy  pine  lands  of  North  < '  urolina  can  not  hope  to  com- 
pete with  the  rich  prairies  of  southwestern  Kansas  and  the  Indian 
Territory.      Indeed,  in  my  opinion,  the  last-named  locality  should  it  ever 

bo  opened  to  while  settlers.  i>  destined  to  i»c  the  great  center  of  the 
14056— Bull.  20 2 


18 

sorghum- sugar  industry;  nevertheless,  those  who  plant  rhe  virgin  soils 
of  this  great  southwestern  empire  must  remember  that  to  always  take 
and  never  give  will  tire  the  most  patient  soils,  and  a  just  return  should 
be  annually  made  to  the  willing  fields.  A  judicious  fertilization,  rotation 
of  crops,  and  rest  will  not  only  preserve  the  natural  fertility  of  the  fields 
but  give  even  a  richer  return  in  the  improved  quality  of  the  cane  and 
the  greater  tonnage  secured.  Perhaps  the  most  sensible  solution  of 
the  problem  of  the  disposition  of  the  waste  chips  will  be  found  in  re- 
turning them  to  the  soil.  These  chips  have  a  positive  inanurial  value 
in  the  nitrogen  they  contain,  while  their  merely  physical  effect  on  the 
soil  may  prove  of  the  highest  importance. 

Water  supply. — The  misfortunes  which  have  attended  many  attempts 
in  the  manufacture  of  sugar  by  diffusion  by  reason  of  an  imperfect  or 
insufficient  water  supply  are  a  sufficient  warning  on  this  subject  to  the 
careful  student.  Xot  only  should  the  water  supply  be  abundant  and  easily 
accessible,  but  the  portion  of  it  at  least  which  is  to  be  used  in  the  bat- 
tery should  be  as  pure  as  possible.  The  presence  of  carbonate  of  lime 
and  some  other  carbonates  in  water  is  not  injurious,  but  the  evil  effects 
of  a  large  amount  of  other  kinds  of  mineral  matter  are  shown  in  the  data 
from  Conway  Springs.  When  the  supply  of  water  is  insufficient  it  has 
been  customary  to  use  ponds  for  receiving  the  waste  from  the  factory, 
so  that  it  may  be  used  again.  This  method  is  applicable  if  care  be 
taken  to  prevent  organic  matters,  scums,  etc.,  from  entering  the  water 
supply.  In  case  this  precaution  is  not  taken  the  operator  of  the  factory 
may  find  himself  in  the  condition  in  which  the  Department  was  placed 
in  its  fust  experiments  at  Ottawa  and  Fort  Scott  in  being  compelled  to 
use  water  foul  and  putrescent.  It  is  scarcely  safe  to  rely  upon  a  well 
for  a  supply  of  water,  especially  if  it  has  to  be  sunk  to  any  depth.  Where 
pumping  machinery  must  be  placed  many  feet  below  the  surface,  as  in 
the  cramped  condition  which  attends  its  erection  in  a  well,  serious  diffi- 
culties may  arise  from  the  machinery  getting  out  of  order,  and  a  great 
loss  of  energy  may  ensue  from  the  necessity  of  lifting  the  water  to  a 
great  height.  In  all  cases  where  it  is  possible  a  running  stream  of 
water  should  be  selected  for  the  supply,  and  the  factory  should  be 
placed  conveniently  near  its  banks.  The  importance  of  this  matter  is 
emphasized  the  more  when  it  is  considered  that  the  most  favorable 
localities  for  sugar  making,  as  indicated  by  the  present  state  of  our 
knowledge, are  situated  in  regions  where  the  water  supply  is  notably 

deficient.  Yet  it  must  be  admitted  that  even  in  southern  and  western 
Kansas  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  find  localities  for  the  erection  of  sugar 
factories  where  the  water  supply  IS  certain  and  abundant.  In  the  light 
of  past  experience  it  is  QOt  probable  that  any  further  mistakes  will  bo 
made  in  this  direction.  <  'areful  estimates  should  be  made  of  the  quan- 
tity of  water  required,  ami  absolute  certainty  should  be  secured  of  the 
supply  of  that  amount  of  water,  and  even  of  a  much  greater  amount  in 
-  of  emergency.  The  only  safety  will  be  found  in  some  such  plan 
as  I  hi*. 


19 

Proximity  of  cane  fields. — Another  point  which  must  be  taken  into 
consideration  in  the  location  of  a  factory  is  the  distance  which  the  cane 
is  to  be  transported.  This  is  a  matter  which  of  course  the  farmers  rais- 
ing the  cane  are  more  interested  in  than  the  proprietors  of  the  factory, 
when  the  cane  is  grown  by  contract.  With  good  roads,  in  a  level  coun- 
try, it  is  easy  to  draw  from  li  to  2  tons  of  field  cane  at  each  load.  The 
average  price  which  is  paid  for  such  cane  at  the  present  time  is  82  per 
ton.  It  is  evident  that  at  a  given  distance,  varying  according  to  the 
price  of  teams  and  labor  in  each  locality,  the  cost  of  transportation 
would  equal  the  total  receipts  for  the  cane;  in  this  case  the  farmer 
would  have  nothing  left  to  pay  for  the  raising  of  the  cane  and  profit. 
Evidently  true  economy,  from  an  agricultural  point  of  view,  would  re- 
quire the  cane  to  be  grown  as  near  the  factory  as  possible.  It  would 
be  well,  indeed,  if  all  the  cane  could  be  grown  within  a  radius  of  1 
mile  from  the  factory.  This  would  give,  in  round  numbers,  2.0(H)  acres 
tributary  to  a  factory.  With  an  ordinary  season  this  ought  to  produce 
20,000  tons  of  cane.  The  lengthening  of  the  radius  of  this  circle  by  one- 
half  mile  would  give  the  greatest  distance  to  be  hauled  l1  miles,  thus 
vastly  increasing  the  surface  tributary  to  the  central  factory.  It  is 
true  that  at  the  present  time  farmers  are  easily  found  who  are  willing 
to  draw  their  cane  4,5,  and  even  G  miles,  but  this  condition  of  affairs 
can  not  be  continued  when  the  business  is  fully  established  and  the 
factories  in  sharp  competition  with  each  other.  En  case  the  exhausted 
chips  are  to  be  returned  to  the  soil  as  fertilizer  the  importance  of  a  cen- 
trally located  factory,  as  described,  is  doubly  emphasized. 

Fuel — A  cheap  and  abundant  supply  of  fuel  is  not  less  important 
than  the  raw  material  to  be  manufactured  into  sugar.  As  far  as  (lie 
sorghum-sugar  industry  is  concerned  the  coal  which  Is  used  for  fuel  is 
transported  almost  exclusively  by  rail.  In  locating  a  factory,  therefore, 
both  for  convenience  of  shipping  the  product  and  lor  receiving  a  sap- 
ply  of  fuel,  it  should  be  placed  sufficiently  near  a  railway  line  to  enable 
it  to  be  connected  therewith  .by  a  switch.  It  is  better,  howev<  r.  that 
the  switch  should  be  of  some  considerable  length  than  that  the  \\  a  er 
supply  should  be  remote  or  the  cam*  in  distant  fields. 

The  problem  of  burning  the  exhausted  chips  has  not  ye;  been  suc< 
fully  solved,  and  I  doubt  very  much  whether  it  will  be.-     Save  the  s<  I 

ening  which  the  chips  undergo  in  the  process  of  diffusion  the  difficulty 
of  expressing  tin-  water  from  them  is  as  great  asthat  of  expressing  the 

juice  from  fresh  chips.      Thus  to  dry  the  chips  siillicieiit  ly  to  make  them 

economical  tor  fuel  would  require  a  vast  expenditure  of  power,  which 
would  hardly  be  .supplied  by  the  increased  supply  of  steam  geuerated  by 
their  combustion.  Experiments  during  the  seasons  lSS7-88al  M  iguolia 
Plantation,  Louisiana,  showed  that  an  ordinary  cane-mill  was  poorly 
adapted  to  the  pressure  of  exhausted  cane  chips.    The  feeding  o\'  the 

*  Since  i lus  was  w  n it. mi  further  experiments  are  more  favorable  to  the  possibility 
of  economical!  j  using  the  chips  for  fueL 


20 

mill  was  difficult,  and  the  amount  of  fuel  produced  seeuied  wholly  dis- 
proportional  to  the  expense  of  preparing  it.  It  has  beeu  proposed  to 
try  the  process. used  for  extracting  the  water  from  beet  pulp  for  the 
purpose  of  drying  sorghum  chips.  There  is  nothing  whatever  in  the 
experience  of  the  beet  sugar  factories  to  warrant  the  belief  that  such 
a  process  would  render  the  chips  sufficiently  dry  to  buru.  Although  L 
would  not  be  considered  as  discouraging  any  further  attempts  in  the 
direction  of  preparing  sorghum  chips  for  fuel,  I  must  be  allowed  to  ex 
piess  the  belief  that  for  some  time  to  come  coal  must  be  chiefly  re- 
lied upon. 

If  the  chips  are  to  be  successfully  burned  in  the  future  we  may  make 
up  our  mind,  that  it  will  have  to  be  done  by  previous  pressure  in  mills 
which  in  all  their  appointments  shall  be  as  strong  and  efficient  as  those 
which  have  been  in  use  for  expressing  the  juice  from  cane.  It  can  not 
be  hoped  that  these  chips  will  be  made  sufficiently  dry  by  exposing 
them  to  the  sun,  and  in  artificial  desiccation  the  amount  of  find  required 
would  be  almost  as  great  as  that  used  in  the  evaporation  of  the  original 
juice.  It  is  claimed  that  at  Wonopringo,  in  Java,  as  reported  in  the 
New  Orleans  Item  of  December  10,  1888,  the  Fives  Lille  Company  has 
succeeded  in  drying  the  chips  by  passing  them  through  two  powerful 
three  roll  mills,  and  that  the  chips  thus  dried  do  not  contain  more  than 
55  per  cent,  of  moisture  and  burn  readily  in  an  automatic  furnace  in- 
vented by  Godillot.  If  it  be  assumed  that  100  pounds  of  chips  contain 
10  pounds  of  combustible  matter  it  is  seen  that  nearly  80  pounds  of 
water  will  have  to  be  expressed  therefrom  before  they  are  lit  for  fuel. 
I  am  doubtful  whether  such  a  process  will  prove  profitable  save  in 
countries  where  fuel  is  very  dear,  as  it   is  in  Java  and  Cuba. 

Cost  of  factory. — It  is  on  almost  universal  experience  that  the  actual 
cost  of  a  sugar  factory  is  underestimated  by  those  who  undertake  its 
election.  Many  of  the  disasters  which  have  attended  the  manufacture 
of  sorghum  sugar  have  beeu  due  to  miscalculation  of  the  cost  of  the 
apparatus  uecessary  for  the  purpose.  It  is  the  part  of  wisdom  to  avoid 
mi-takes  of  this  kind,  and  before  undertaking  the  erection  of  a  factory 
to  fully  understand  the  amount  of  outlay  which  will  be  required.  The 
cost  <>f  a  factory  will,  of  course,  vary  according  to  its  capacity  and  the 
character  ol*  the  machinery  and  building  erected.  In  my  opinion  there 
is  little  economy  in  usiug  cheap  machinery,  hastily  and  poorlypul  t<>- 
getber.  Success  is  more  likely  to  be  obtained  by  using  the  very  best 
machinery  which  has  been  devised  for  sugar-making  purposes,  and 
erecting  it  in  a  lasting  and  substantial  manner.  The  economy  which  is 
secured    in  opera!  ing  such   machinery  far  exceeds  that  which  would  be 

obtained  by  erecting  a  cheaper  plant    The  character  of  the  building 

must  also  be  taken  into  cousiderat  ion  ;    it  should  be  Sufficiently  large  to 

allow  a  proper  disposition  of  all  parts  of  the  machinery  without  crowd- 
ing, and  sufficiently  strong  to  afford  a  proper  support  for  such  portions 
thereof  ;,.  m, ,\  rest  upouit,     Due  regard  shaild  also  be   paid  to  risks 


21 

of  fire,  and  that  portion  of  the  factory  especially  exposed  to  such  dan- 
gers should  be  mad"  as  nearly  as  possible  fire-proof.  The  plans  and 
specifications  for  all  the  machinery  should  be  carefully  prepared  under 
the  direction  of  a  competent  engineer  and  architect,  and  the  machinery 
furnished  by  manufacturing  firms  whose  experience  and  reparation  are 
a  guaranty  of  the  excellence  of  their  work.  For  a  complete  factory, 
capable  of  working  200  tons  per  day,  the  cost  may  be  estimated  at 
$00,000  for  a  minimum  and  8100,000  for  a  maximum,  the  difference  be- 
ing caused  by  the  elaborateness  of  the  work.  This  may  seem  a  large 
sum,  but  it  is  highly  important  that  intending  investors  should  know 
the  magnitude  of  the  undertaking:  which  they  propose.  An  estimate 
which  exceeds  the  actual  outlay  by  810,000  will  be  far  more  satisfactory 
to  all  parties  concerned  than  one  which  falls  short  of  it  by  the  same 
amount. 

Technical  and  chemical  control. — The  manufacture  of  sugar  from 
sorghum  is  no  mysterious  process  known  only  to  one  or  two  persons,  as 
attempts  have  been  made  to  establish  ;  nevertheless  it  must  be  under- 
stood that  without  experience  in  the  manufacture  of  sugar  the  most 
competent  engineer  may  fail.  It  is  best,  therefore,  that  intending  in- 
vestors understand  this  beforehand  that  they  may  be  able  to  secure  some 
one  to  take  charge  of  the  manufacture  of  sugar  who  thoroughly  un- 
derstands the  needs  of  the  business  and  has  had  some  experience  in  the 
conduct  thereof.  Perhaps  there  are  not  more  than  fifteen  or  twenty 
such  men  now  in  the  United  States,  but  their  number  will  be  largely 
increased  within  a  short  time.  It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  the  num- 
ber of  factories  which  could  be  successfully  operated  in  the  next  year 
or  two  is  limited,  and  this  fact  should  be  taken  into  careful  considera 
tion  by  those  intending  to  invest  money  in  the  business.  An  intelli- 
gent young  man  of  good  education,  with  quick  perceptions  and  of  in- 
dustrious habits,  would  be  able  in  one  year,  working  in  a  sorghum- 
sugar  factory,  to  obtain  a  knowledge  which  would  enable  him  to  take 
charge  ef  a  factory,  with  some  degree  of  success,  on  his  own  responsi- 
bility. One  object  which  the  Department  has  had  in  view  in  its  experi- 
ments has  been  in  having  them  open,  not  only  to  public  inspection,  but  to 
careful   technical  study,  to  such   persons  as  chose  to  make  the  attempt. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  at  least  one  company,  who  through  the  cour- 
tesy of  the  Commissioner  of  Agriculture  was  permitted  to  use  a  large 
amount  of  machinery  belonging  to  the  Department,  has  so  far  for- 
gotten its  obligations  to  the  public  as  to  refuse  permission  tor  a  tech- 
nical study  and  report  ou  its  operations  during  the  past  year,  rub- 
lie   property  is  devoted  to  a  poor  purpose  when  used  in  such  a  manner. 

The  importance  of  chemical  control  of  the  manufacturing  work  i^  so 
evident  that  1  need  Dot  dwell  upon  it  long.    The  va  jhuni 

plan t  are  so  pronounced  as  t<>  require  the  careful  supervision  of  the 
chemist  at  all  times.  In  localities  not  far  removed  differences  in  the 
character  of  the  sorghum  are  most   marked. as  illustrated  i>\  the  data 


22 

obtained  at  Conway  Springs  and  Douglass,  Kans.,  during  the  past 
year.  To  determine  the  titness  of  the  cane  for  the  manufacture  of  su- 
gar, control  the  workings  of  the  factory,  and  fiud  and  remove  tlie  sources 
of  loss  in  the  sugar-house,  are  duties  which  can  be  committed  only  to 
the  chemist.  For  many  years,  at  least,  this  chemical  supervision  will  be 
necessary,  and  its  utility  will  always  continue. 

PROGRESS   OF   DIFFUSION   WITH   SUGAR-CANE. 

Two  plantations  an1  using  the  process  of  diffusion  daring  the  present 
season  for  tin1  extraction  of  sugar  from  sugar-cane.  These  are  Sugar  Land 
plantation  ofColouel Cunningham, in  Texas,  and  the  Magnolia  plantation 
of  Governor  Warmoth,  in  Louisiana.  The  latest  reports  from  the  Sugar 
Land  plantation  I  find  in  the  Item  of  December  L5,  1888.  At  that 
time  it  is  reported  that  over  2,000,000  pounds  of  sugar  had  been  made 
and  that  the  diffusion  battery  was  working  up  from  800  to  350  tons  of 
cane  a  day.  It  is  also  reported  that  an  average  of  191  pounds  of  sugar 
is  made  per  ton.  From  the  analyses  of  the  cane  reported  in  the  Item 
of  November  28,  1888,  it  appears  that  the  juice  has  about  12  per  cent, 
of  crystallizable  sugar.  The  success  of  the  operations  seems  to  be  fully 
assured. 

The  working  of  the  battery  at  .Magnolia  is  also  satisfactory.  The  an- 
alysis of  the  cane  shows  that  it  is  extremely  rich  in  sugar.  In  the  Item 
of  December  1  it  is  reported  that  the  juice  contained  L3.7  to  10.0  per 
cent,  of  sugar.  A  polarization  had  been  made  showing  as  high  as  10.2 
per  cent. 

Under  date  of  December  9,  Mr.  G.  L.  Spencer  writes  as  follows: 

Diffusion  is  working  to  everyone's  satisfaction.  We  have  had  a  great  man}  delays, 
almost  .-ill  of  which  were  caused  by  the  faryan  quadruple-effect  pan.    Governor  War- 

motli  had  the  apparatus  overhauled  tji is  i ning  and  found  that   the  exhaust-pipe 

from   the  pump  opens  into  the  second  effect,  making  a  pressure  pan  of  this  when 

ug  with  more  than  :">  or  I  pounds  of  steam.    This  defect  has  been  remedied  and 

wc  hope  everything  will  be  all  right  now.    The  cutter  gave  a  greal  deal  of  trouble 

;it  first,  so  much  that  we  thought  it  would  be  necessary  to  abandon  it.     Finally  two 

holes  cut   in  the  side  of  the  casing  opposite    the   cutting  disk    relieved    il.  so  now  it   is 

working  well.  We  can  cut  a  cell  of  chips  averaging  2,864  pounds  in  seven  and  a 
half  minute-.  The  dilution  will  probably  surprise  you.  1  iu tended  starting  with  ;i 
dilution  of  :;:;  per  cent.,  hut  i>\  a  mistake  in  measurement  I  started  vi  ith  ">»»  per  i  ent. 
With  50  per  cent,  dilution  we  left  from  .28  to  .70  sucrose  iu  the  chip  juice.  I  gradu- 
ally reduced  the  dilution  until  it  dropped  to  L4.8  per  cent..  1.  a\  ing  aboul  .?(>  to  1  pel 
c.ni.  ot  sucrose  iu  the  exhausted  chip  juici  s.  w  .■  have  finally  commenced  running 
with  a  dilution  of  21  per  cent.,  leaving  .  12  per  cent,  of  Bucrose  in  the  exhausted  chip 
juices.  With  pulped  cane,  such  as  Hughes's  apparatus  gives,  I  would  be  willing  to 
guaranty  a  dilution  of  only  18  per  cent,  and  i<>  leave  less  than  .50  per  cent,  of  sugar 
in  the  exhausted  chips.  We  tried  the  use  of  lime  lu  the  cells.  Practically,  when 
making  w  bite  sugar,  we  can  not  work  the  battery  hoi  euough  to  obtain  clean  juice. 

We  try  to  keep  the  battery  al  ab 90    (\ 

Farther  experiments  have  also  been  made  in  the  application  of  diffu- 
sion to  sugarcane  by  Prof.  W.  O.  Stubbs  at  the  Kenuer  Sugar  Experi 
went  Station.     A  full  report  of  this  work  will  be  published  in  a  forth- 
coming bulletiu  of  (hat  station.    In  the  Louisiana  Planter  and  Sugar 


23 

Manufacturer  of  December  1,1888,  a  report  is  found  on  a  part  of  the 
work  done.  As  high  as  240  pouuds  of  sugar  have  been  obtained  per 
ton  of  cane.     The  results  of  the  work  are  in  every  way  encouraging. 

From  the  above  it  is  seen  that  diffusion  with  sugar-cane  is  an  assured 
success,  and  we  may  expect  to  see  it  gradually  displacing  the  milling 
process  throughout  the  sugar-producing  world.* 

THE    USE    OF   LIME   IN    THE   DIFFUSION   BATTERY. 

The  use  of  carbonate  of  lime  in  the  diffusion  battery  and  the  patent 
obtained  for  this  process  by  Prof.  Magnus  S  wen  son  are  fully  discussed 
iu  Bulletin  No.  17,  p.  61,  ct  seq. 

Since  the  publication  of  that  bulletin  and  of  Bulletin  No.  1-4,  further 
experiments  at  Conway  Springs  have  demonstrated  that  the  method 
originally  proposed  by  me  for  the  use  of  lime  to  prevent  inversion  in 
the  battery  by  evenly  distributing  finely-divided  lime  upon  the  fresh 
chips  lias  proved  satisfactory.  An  apparatus  constructed  by  Mr.  B. 
W.  Denting  succeeded  fairly  well  in  evenly  distributing  the  lime  over 
all  the  chips  entering  Hie  cell  in  such  a  fine  state  of  division  as  to  pre- 
vent any  portion  of  the  contents  of  the  cell  from  becoming  alkaline. 
The  lime  was  prepared  by  air  slaking  and  sifting  through  a  tine  sieve 
into  a  barred  covered  by  a  cloth  to  protect  the  laborer. 

During  the  past  year  the  use  of  lime  in  the  diffusion  battery  for  clari- 
fying the  juices  has  received  a  good  deal  of  attention.  The  first  person 
who  proposed  this  process  and  took  out  a  patent  upon  it  was  Mr. 
O.B.Jennings.  Letters  patent,  Xo.  287544,  dated  October  30,  1883, 
were  issued  to  Mr.  Jeuniugs  on  an  application  filed  on  the  2d  of  April, 
1883.     following  is  an  abstract  of  .Mr.  Jennings's  patent: 

Be  it  known  thai  I,  Orlando  B.  Jennings,  of  Honey  (reck,  in  the  couuty  of  Wal- 
worth :iiid  State  of  Wisconsin,  have  invented  certain  new  and  useful  improvements 
in  the  man nfactnre  of  sugar  from  Bngar-cane,  sorghum,  inaizc,  and  other  plants,  of 
which  the  following  is  a  full,  clear,  and  exact  description: 

This  invention  relates  to  the  manufacture  <»i  Bqgar  from  different  sugar-producing 
plants,  including  sugar-cane,  maple,  sorghum,  and  maize;  but  it  has  mors  espseial 
reference  to  defecating  the  juice  in  the  stalks  of  sugar-cane,  sorghum,  and  maize,  and 
extracting  the  juice  from  the  residue  or  bagasse  for  subsequent  boiling  into  sugar  and 
sirup. 

In  making  sugar  from  Bugar-prodncing  plants  with  my  invention,  it  i>  my  purpose 
to  extract  and  ntilize  all  of  the  saccharine  juice  and  to  obtain  entire  control  of  its 
defecut  ion.  •*.>  as  to  make  a  airup  free  from  foreign  matter  and  elements  of  fermenta- 
tion. Bj  it  the  juice  in  evaporating  is  free  from  skimmings  or  precipitates,  that  ere 
always  liberated  in  the  ordinary  method  of  extracting,  which  waste  m)  iuvention 
avoids. 

Applied  to  the  manufacture  of  sugar  from  cane  and  other  stalks,  tin-  invention  con- 
sists in  a  proc<  98  of  preparing  said  Btalks  for  the  more  perfect  extraction  of  the  jo  ice 
by  reducing  tin-  Bame  to  a  tinelj  -comminuted  or  dust  like  condition,  ami  whereby  the 
juice  cell*  are  thorough!]  crushed  and  raptured.  This  pan  of  the  invention  also  in- 
elndes  a  combination  ol  circular  saws,  forming  a  compound  saw,  t"i  reducing  the 
canes  or  stalks  to  such  finely  comminuted  condition,  likewise  spriukling  or  mixing 

'A  report  of  the  work  done  iu  Louisiana  daring  the  pai  will  soon  be  ist 

as  Bullet  in  No  21. 


24 

with  said  dost,  before  defecation,  dry  lime  or  lime  whitewash  in  powder.  Such  lime 
combines  with  the  acid  in  tin1  dust,  and  upon  a  suitable  application  of  heat  r<>  the 
whole  forms  donble  precipitates  at  one  and  the  same  time. 

Furthermore,  the  invention  consists  in  a  process  of  precipitating  the  matter  in  the 
cane-juice  colls  and  cane  pulp,  or  in  the  jnice  of  any  sngar-produoing  plant,  however 
obtained,  by  exposing  the  juice  or  material  under  treatment  to  a  temperature  of  over 
212  V.,  and  subsequently  removing  the  juice  from  the  woody  or  precipitated  mat- 
ter by  washing  the  same  with  currents  (if  water.  In  carrying  out  this  part  of  the 
invention  I  use  a  cylinder  or  other  suitable  vessel  in  which  the  temperature  is  raised 
to  the  required  degree  (about  212°  F.)  for  defecation  and  precipitation  of  the  mat- 
ter capable  of  being  precipitated,  whether  the  same  be  contained  in  sugar-cane, 
sorghum,  and  maize  stalks,  reduced  to  dust  or  not,  or  in  any  saccharine  juice,  includ- 
ing maple  sap.  the  temperature  varying  from  228°  to  2(57°  F.,  according  to  tin'  ripeness 
of  the  material  under  treatment  and  other  conditions.  This  vessel  is  suitably  con- 
structed or  provided  with  means  to  admit  of  the  introduction  of  the  material  to  be 
treated;  also,  to  provide  for  the  forcing  out  of  the  exhausted  bagasse  or  refuse,  and 
for  the  introduction  of  steam  while  and  after  charging  it;  likewise,  steam  to  act 
upon  the  condensed  water  and  released  juice  and  force  them  out  through  a  filter. 
Means  are  also  provided  for  running  the  wash-water  from  a  series  of  tanks  in  suc- 
c.  ssion  through  said  vessel,  to  act  upon  the  charge  thereiu,  and  an  arrangement  of 
defecating-tank  connections  for  introducing  scum,  sediment,  and  sweet  wash-water 
upon  a  succeeding  charge. 

In  the  pi  ocess  of  extracting  the  saccharine  matter  of  cane,  the  mixing  with  the 
comminuted  cane,  before  the  passage  "t  i  be  same  into  the  diffusing  apparatus  and  the 
defecating  of  the  same,  of  dry  lime  or  lime  whitewash,  whereby  the  material  will  he 
thoroughly  defecated  without  the  liability  of  the  admixture  therewith  of  the  pre- 
cipitate of  the  lime,  substantially  as  described. 

The  combination  with  the  diffusing  tank  of  one  or  more  defecating  tanks,  to  which 
the  juice  is  delivered  from  the  diffusing  tank,  and  pipes  provided  With  valves  for 
drawing  the  skimmings,  sett  lings,  and  sweet  water  from  said  defecating  tank  or  tanks 
and  passing  the  same  into  the  diffusing  tank  or  vessel,  esseutially  as  and  for  the  pur- 
poses herein  set  forth. 

In  combination  with  the  defecat  ing  tank,  dill  using  tank,  and  a  suitable  evaporator. 
the  settling  tank  provided  with  a  discharge  pipe  for  running  thejnice  into  the  evap 
orator,  and  with  means  for  passing  its  sediment  into  the  diffusing  tank,  substantially 
as  described. 

It  is  seen  that  Mr.  Jennings  makes  a  broad  claim  for  the  appli- 
cation of  the  process  of  clarification  in  the  diffusion  apparatus  for  all 
Bugar  producing  plants.  Mr.  Jennings  lias  claimed  that  the  process 
devised  by  the  Department  for  the  use  of  lime  to  prevent  inversion  in 
the  battery  is  an  infringement  on  his  method.  Any  (Hie  who  will  care 
fully  examine  Mr.  .Jennings's  claim,  as  set  forth  by  himself  in  his  appli- 
cation for  a  patent,  will  see  that  the  two  processes  are  entirely  different, 
not  only  in  principle,  bul  in  the  method  of  application. 

In  a  letter  to  the  Rural  World,  published  on  (he  L3th  of  December, 

L888,  1  endeavor  to  make  this  matter  clear;  following  is  a  copy  of  the 
letter: 

United  8i  ltes  in  partmi  \  i  <>i   Agrici  lturb, 

Division  "i   Chemistry, 
/l  ashington,  l>.  (  ..  December  I,  L838. 
Editor  Rdrai  World:  [  have  read,  in  ihe  Rnral  World  of  the  23d  of  November, 
the  letter  from  < ).  B.  Jennings,  of  G  rover,  Colo.,  In  regard  t»»  his  patent  for  clarifying 
in   fnicea  in  the  diffuHion  i»:i ttorj 


25 

Mr.  Jennings  is  laboring  under  tbe  mistake  that  I  Lave  been  using  his  process  and 
spending  live  years  on  what  he  showed  me  how  to  do  at  first.  This  is  a  complete  mis- 
apprehension of  tbe  case.  I  have  never  denied  to  Mr.  Jennings  tbe  honor  of  invent- 
ing the  method  of  clarifying  cane  juices  in  the  diffusion  battery:  in  fact,  long  before 
his  letter  in  your  paper  appeared  I  wrote  a  note  to  the  New  Orleans  City  Item,  specifi- 
cally claiming  for  him  the  honor  of  the  invention  which  had  been  attributed  to 
another  source. 

It  is  important  to  sngar-makers,  either  present  or  prospective,  to  know  the  follow- 
ing points,  viz  : 

(1)  The  process  of  using  carbonate  of  lime  in  the  diffusion  battery  is  a  patented 
process  which  can  only  be  used  under  royalty  or  by  permission  of  the  inventor,  Pro- 
fessor Swenson. 

(2)  The  process  of  clarifying  the  cane  juices  in  the  diffusion  battery  is  a  patented 
process  and  can  only  be  employed  under  royalty  or  by  permission  of  the  inventor, 
Mr.  O.B.Jennings,  of  Grover,  Colo. 

(:V)  The  use  of  dry  lime  or  lime  in  any  form  in  the  diffusion  battery  to  prevent 
inversion  is  a  process  devised  by  the  Depart  men  1  of  Agriculture,  ami  offered  free  to 
all  sugar-growers  in  this  country.  Under  proper  chemical  control  ir  is  more  efficient 
than  the  use  of  carbonate  of  lime. 

I  will  say  further  that  I  have  never  tried  in  any  way  to  use  Mr.  Jennings's  process, 
since  in  an  ordinary  diffusion   battery  it  would  be  wholly  impossible  to  do  SO.     The 
high  temperature  which  he  requires  for  the  proper  clarification  of  the  juices  would 
render  the  circulation  of  the  liquid  in  the  battery  almost  impossible. 
.Respectfully, 

II.  W.  Wiley, 

( 'hernial. 

The  process  of  using  lime  in  the  diffusion  battery  lor  clarifying  pur- 
poses it  iy  claimed  has  been  successfully  practiced  in  Java  and  Aus- 
tralia. 

Prof.  W.  C.  Stubbs  lias  also  used  it  with  success  at  the  sugar  exper- 
iment station  at  Kenner,  La. 

Col.  B.  EL  Cunningham  of  Sartartia,  Tex.,  lias  also  used  the  process 
with  success,  as  is  indicated  by  the  following  letter  from  him,  published 
in  the  Louisiana  Planter  of  December  1,  1888: 

My  diffusion  battery  is  now  working  nicely,  and  I  am  very  much  g  rati  lied  at  the 
results  obtained.  Diffusion  is  a  success  beyond  a  doubt.  I  am  now  workiug  Biigars 
by  running  tbe  juice  direct  from  tbe  diffusion  cells  to  the  double  effects  without  any 
clarification,  excepl  using  a  little  lime  in  the  diffusion  cells. 

I  shall  lie  glad  to  Lave  a  visit  from  yon  or  any  of  your  friends  who  feel  an  interest 
in  diffusion. 

The  process  of  ordinary  clarification,  in  my  opinion,  is  more  ia\  orable 
to  the  production  of  a  pure  sngar  than  any  form  of  clarification  in  the 
cells  of  the  battery.  The  process  as  practiced  at  Kenner  and  Sugar 
Lands,  however,  differs  From  that  described  by  .Mr.  Jennings  in  working 
at  a  lower  temperature. 

COMPARISON    "l      rOTAL    sol. ids     DETERMINES    B\     SACCHAROMETEH 

\M»    DIBE<   i     DBTING. 

Daring  the  season  <»r  lss;  i  instructed  the  chemists  at  the  Fori  Scott 
station  to  makes  series  of  comparisons  between  the  total  Bolids  ns 
determined  by  our  standard  saccharoineter  and  l>\    direct    weighing 


2G 

The  desiccations  were  to  be  made  in  flat  dishes  partly  filled  with  loose 
asbestos  or  clean  sand.  The  purity  co  efficient  of  the  juice  as  shown 
by  the  spindles  appeared  too  low  to  permit  so  large  a  yield  of  dry  sugar. 

As  was  expected,  the  total  solids  as  determined  by  direct  weighing 
were  found  considerably  less  than  were  indicated  by  the  spindles.  The 
ratio  of  each  variation  was  not  the  same,  but  a  large  Dumber  of  deter- 
minations established  a  mean  rate  of  variation  which  will  make  it  pos- 
sible to  approximately  correct  the  reading  of  the  common  spindle.  At 
Magnolia  last  year  similar  experiments  were  made  with  the  juices  of 
the  sugar-cane,  but  these  were  not  extensive  enough  to  fix  the  rate  of 
variation  for  those  juices.  Following  is  a  record  of  some  of  the  work 
done  here: 

Comparison  of  total  xolids. 


No. 

Total  solids 
by  spindle. 

Total  solids 
dried  in  dish. 

Diff.  N  nit.-. 

Total  solids 
in  hydrogen. 

Difl\  rence. 

66  !>.)  .... 
6065 

6070 

6074 

<iu76 

GOTO 

1,081 

6083  .... 

Per  cut. 
12.60 
15.20 
1  3.20 
12.20 
11.. Ml 
13.30 
J  2  30 
12.50 
ig.:ji) 

V,  ;•  cent. 

I  1  .  •):{ 
l :;.;»! 
12.8" 
1!    -is 

II  01 
l'J  35 
11.77 
12.00 
1(5.04 

.07 
.  66 

.  :;:$ 
.7-j 
.46 
.45 
.  53 
.  50 
.  26 

I\  r  cent. 

10.94 

10.81 

"ii.59 

1 1 .  ().-. 

1.26 

.  70 

In 

The  determinations  in  hydrogen  were  made  in  a  specially  constructed 
apparatus,  consisting  of  glass  cylinder  furnished  with  a  glass  stopper 
carrying  two  tubes  with  stop  cocks  tor  displacing  the  air  with  an  at- 
mosphere of  hydrogen.  The  juice  was  absorbed  by  a  dried  paper  coil 
and  supported  in  the  cylinder  on  a  disk  of  wire  gauze  resting  on  a  lead 
tripod.  The  cylinder  contained  25  of  strong  sulphuric  acid.  The 
cylinder  carrying  the  coil  was  placed  in  a  steam  bath  filled  with  dried 
bydrogen  at  100°.  The  Stop-COCks  were  then  closed  an  1  the  whole  ap- 
paratus left  at  the  temperature  of  the  steam  for  five  hours.  The  sul- 
phuric acid  absorbed  all  the  moisture,  and  alter  cooling  and  filling  the 
cylinder  with  dried  air  the  coil  was  removed  and  weighed  in  a  closed 
bolder. 

The  determinations  in  (fit  dishes  were  made  by  drying  2.5  to  3  grams 

Of  the  juice  ;it  102     for  five  hours.      Scarcely  any  difference  was  noticed 

between  the  results  given  by  the  plain  dishes  and  those  idled  with 
Baud  or  asbestos,  except  in  the  work  at  Conway  Spriugs. 

In  the  determinations  made  here  in  plain  dishes  the  percentage 
of  total  solids  was  k68  percent,  less  than  h\  the  spindle.     In  thede. 

terminations  in  bydrogen  they  were  6.94  per  c<  nt.  less.  The  determina- 
tions in  hydrogen,  therefore,  will  show  L\LN>  percent,  less  total  solids, 
Calculated  on  the  number  given  l>\    the  spindle,  than  those  obtained  by 

drying. 

At  I  >OUghl88,  Ivans..  I  lie  normal  juice,  calculated  on  the  data  furnished 


27 

by  the  spindle,  showed  a  loss  of  8.61  per  cent,  in  total  solids  when  dried 
in  open  dishes. 

At  Conway  Springs  this  loss  in  plain  dishes  was  7.24  per  cent.,  and 
in  asbestos  8.23  per  cent. 

With  diffusion  juices  these  losses  were,  for  Douglass,  11.34  per  cent., 
and  for  Conway  Springs  9.G7  per  cent,  in  plain  dishes,  and  10. S3  per 
cent,  in  asbestos. 

The  mean  loss  for  normal  juices  at  Douglass  and  Conway  Springs 
was  8.36  per  cent. 

For  the  diffusion  juices  the  mean  loss  was  10.01  per  cent. 

It  appears  therefore  that  a  saccbaroraeter  of  the  standard  13iix  vari- 
ety, as  standardized  by  a  pure  cane  sugar  solution,  must  be  eoneeted 
by  fully  10  per  cent,  of  its  readings  in  order  to  give  an  approximately 
true  indication  of  the  total  solids  found  in  the  diffusion  juice  of  Kansas 
sorghum.  For  sorghum  grown  in  New  Jersey,  which  was  the  source 
of  most  of  the  juices  examined  here,  the  correction  will  be  only  about 
7  per  cent. 

I  am  having  constructed  some  saccharometers  with  scale  to  read  as 
indicated  by  the  above  corrections. 

The  apparent  purities  of  the  sorghum  juices  will  be  considerably 
raised  by  this  correction;  thus  at  Douglass  the  purity  of  the  normal 
juice  is  raised  from  59.G3  per  cent,  to  05.31  per  cent.,  and  at  Conway 
Springs  from  GG.70  to  72.76  per  cent.  The  purity  of  the  diffusion  juices 
of  the  two  localities  is  raised  from  58.59  to  (HI. SO  per  cent.,  and  62.92  to 
71.13  per  cent.,  respectively. 

SUMMARY. 

It  has  been  my  duty  dining  the  past  few  years  to  report  the  tacts 
concerning  the  sorghum  industry  as  they  were  developed  by  the  re- 
searches of  the  Department  and  of  others.  These  facts  have  been  of  a 
varied  nature;  sometimes  they  have  been  favorable  to  the  industry  and 
sometimes  unfavorable,  hut  in  all  cases  they  have  been  fully  set  forth 
and  commented  on  in  the  light  of  knowledge  at  hand.  In  these  inves- 
tigations 1  have  been  unmoved  by  the  abuse  of  interested  parties,  which 
I  have  received  on  account  of  my  unwillingness  to  conceal  the  weak 
tsof  sorghum.  It  was  thought  when  Bulletin  No.  IS  was  issued 
that  tin'  experimental  work  on  the  part  of  the  Department  with  sorghum 
Was  linisheo,  and    in  lh;it    bulletin  a  .mi  miliary  w  as  made  of  the  ii, 

gations  conducted  in  the  United  Stales  during  the  past  twenty-five 
years.     In  that  bulletin  1  expressed  the  beliet  that  with  cane  as  rich  as 

had  been  produced    in  Kansas  on  a  large  Scale   it  -liable   lh.it    a 

yield  of  from  80  to  90  pounds  of  sugar  per  ton  of  clean  cane  can  be 
seemed.     Tll(    results  of  the  past    year  confirm  me  in  this  opinion   and 

indicate  that,  with  wise  management  and  careful  control  and  proper  se- 
lection of  locality  the  sorghum  sugar  industry  may  be  made  fluan  iall.\ 
successful.     In  previous  pages  1  have  endeavored  tosel  forth  carefully 


28 

some  of  the  things  which  must  be  considered  in  order  to  secure  the  above 
result;  l>ut  it  must  bo  remembered  that  my  individual  opinion  is  simply 
based  upon  tlie  study  of  the  tacts  which  have  been  set  forth.  These 
data  are  accessible  to  every  one  who  cares  to  make  a  careful  study  of 
the  subject,  and  therefore  each  one  interested  has  every  opportunity  to 
form  his  own  opinion  concerning  the  matter.  Since  it  is  my  business  to 
investigate  rather  than  to  theorize,  I  have  contented  myself  chiefly 
with  reporting  facts  rather  than  expounding  theories. 


REPORT  Of  H.  A.  HUGHES,  RIO  GRANDE,  N.  J. 


The  whole  season  of  this  year  has  been  devoted  entirely  to  experi- 
mental work,  with  the  objeetof  securing  additional  light  on  crop  grow- 
ing, manufacturing,  and  commercial  problems. 

The  past  season  was  the  end  of  a  series  of  crop  growing,  covering  a 
period  of  nine  years,  and  fully  confirms  the  fact  that  the  safe  time  for 
planting  Orange  cane,  after  allowing  for  variations  of  climate,  had 
passed. 

The  Amber  cane  had  gone  by  its  season  by  September  23,  at  which 
time  the  cutting  had  commenced,  and  the  Kansas  Orange  had  very  little 
rijie  seed  on  it;  the  Late  Orange  contained  very  little  ripe  seed,  and  a 
large  number  of  the  plumes  did  not  even  have  sevd  formed  in  them. 

The  crop  was  all  harvested  by  November  1. 

The  usual  frosts  and  ice  were  met,  with  results  described  later  on. 


Analyses. 


Description. 

SncroBe,       Brix,        ,,     . 
per  cent    per  cent. 

0                      o 

7.35           13.70 

8.47           14.21         59.60 

6.74           12.01 

The  Amber  was  used  to  break  in  the  new  machinery,  not  being  con- 
sidered worth  working  for  sugar.  The  Kansas  Orange  was  all  worked 
for  sugar  and  gave  J  ields  of  line  quality  of  SG  to  90  per  cent,  test ;  with- 
out washing,  of  from  05  pouuds  to  .')!>  pounds  per  ton  of  field  cane.  The 
limit  of  crystallization  can  be  marked  at  55  percent,  purity.  Crystals 
can  be  formed  below  this  degree,  bul  thej  are  difficult  to  separate  in  the 
centrifugals. 

The  Late  Orange  was  mostly  below  the  crystallization  point,  and  al- 
though crystals  were  attempted  by  the  Sllgar  maker  in  order  to  find  out 
the  limit  at  which  graining  takes  place,  and  several  pans  w  ore  art  nally 
grained  the  grains  were  so  small  that  conclusions  were  reached  adverse 
to  the  boiling  for  sugar  of  such  material.  Two  weeks  of  the  season  were 
spent  In  breaking  in  the  evaporator^  and  one  week  in  soh  ing  the  prob 


30 

lems  ami  testing  the  result  on  the  battery  of  chips  of  different  sizes, 
best  for  diffusion,  and  the  balance  of  the  time  in  regular  working. 

A  lot  of  Kansas  Orange  seed  was  selected  and  distributed  among 
twenty  different  farmers,  thus  repeating  the  experiment  described  under 
season  1881,  except  that  Kansas  Orange  of  the  finest  quality  was  used 
instead  of  Amber.  The  result  was  high  and  low  test  canes  and  large 
and  small  tonnage. 

Jt  is  but  just  to  say  that  many  of  these  farmers  had  no  knowledge  of 
cane  raising  and  followed  their  own  notions.  Those  who  bad  knowledge 
of  our  work  and  some  experience  raised  high-test  canes  and  large  ton- 
nage. 

This  season  completes  the  circle  of  observations  and  records  of  crops 
for  nine  years.  The  data  can  be  summed  up,  which  shows  the  action  of 
fertilizers  on  large  masses  of  cane  as  it  has  been  received  at  the  8  n  gar- 
house,  and  the  proper  and  safe  dates  for  planting  each  variety  are  de- 
termined. This  will  explain  and  answer  many  of  the  criticisms  which 
have  been  published  from  year  to  year  by  parties  who  only  saw  this 
work  from  one  season's  stand-point.  The  following  deductions  are  made 
from  the  analysis  of  more  than  38,000  tons  of  cane,  and  cover  a  period 
of  nine  years.  This  table  will  be  found  convenient  for  reference,  under 
the  heading  of  season  18S0  to  1888,  inclusive.  It  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  these  facts  will  only  strictly  apply  to  this  climate  and  this 
soil;  but  until  it  can  be  proved  that  they  will  not  apply  elsewhere  it 
will  serve  as  a  guide,  and  should  be  interpreted  by  taking  into  considera- 
tion the  fertilizers  used,  the  variations  of  the  seasons,  and  the  nature  of 
the  plant.     These  conditions  are  fully  described. 

Summary  of  record  for  nineyears. 


Seed  pro- 
oured  in— 

Minn. 

Km  Grande 

..  do    

..  do 

..  do 

Planting. 

Harvest 

Fertilizers. 

Si  a  JOn. 

1880 
1881 

1883 
1881 

Commi  aced. 

Ended. 

Commonoi  d.      Boded. 

Complete  fertilizer    — 

Unknown  

Pacific  puano 

Yard  tut re  and  begasse 

Large  quant  1  ties  of  stable 

Not  know  n 

Mas   "J  I 

May 4    .... 
\  1 1 1    1  .">   ... 

Mai 

Noi  Know  ii 

June  ii... 

Max 

m.,,  <;   .. 

Sept. 22     ...    (».  t.  13. 
Not  know  u      Noi  known 

S,  pi.  in  .             Nov.  14. 

Sept. 8    Nov.  n. 

manure  ami  ligli  i  i 

iim.s  of  phosphnrioacid. 
Compost    in  small    quan- 

1885 

•  ''"    

apr.  14.... 

Ma>    1      .. 

Bept.2 

pT0V.  11. 

tities. 
Small  qnautities  of  com 

...do  

Apr.  10.... 

Ma]  30    .. 

s,  pt.22 

Nov.  10. 

post    and    muriate    ol 

potash. 
;           quant  it  les  of  oom 

1887 

..  .1.. 

May  9    

Jum 

Nov.  'J'.'. 

po  i    and    muriate    oJ 

potash. 
Complete  frrtiHzors  ami 

1888 

.    .In 

Ma\    IK     .... 

Jane  10  .. 

; 

Nov.  1. 

mm  late  <>t  potash. 

31 


Summary  of  record  for  nine  years — Continued. 


Tonnage 

per  acre. 

Polariscope  test. 

Fertilizers. 

At  com- 
mencement 
of  campaign. 

At  end  of 
campaign. 

Variety. 

Pounds. 
6,  000 
Not  knows 

HjHiii 
16,000 
(*) 

ll.(0i 
12,  uuu 

(t) 
18,000 

o 
14 

o 
14 

0-14                   6-14 
10.35                  10.56 

Do. 

V.  nl  manure  and  begasse 

Large  quantities  of  stable  manure 
and  1  i  «4 Li t  dressings  of  phosphoric 

ju  id. 

Compost   in  small  quantities 

Small    quantities  of  compost  and 

muriate  of  potash. 
Large  quantities  of  compost  and 

muriate  of  potash. 
Complete   fertilizers  and  muriate 

of  potash. 

!).  70 
10.  96 

5.04 

6.  CO 

7.94 

7.  33 

!t.  14 
12.00 

10.00 
9.  45 

9.  1- 

6.  54 

Do. 
Do. 

Do. 
Amber.  Kansas  Orange, 
and  Late  ( Iramre. 
Do. 

Do. 

8,000  to  32.000  poun< 


1 16.000  to  44,000  pounds. 


The  planting'  commenced  on  May  24,  in  1880,  and  was  each  year  ear- 
lier until  it  reached  April  10,  1S80,  from  which  time  the  season  was  made 
later,  including  the  present  year,  this  completing  the  circle. 

{Season  of  1880. — Ripening  of  the  cane  was  traced  with  the  polari- 
scope, and  when  14  per  cent,  of  sugar  was  reached  cutting  began;  and 
dining  the  short  time  required  to  harvest  it,  no  damage  was  received 
from  winds  or  frosts.  The  juice  was  reduced  to  semi  sirup  in  an  open 
evaporator,  and  three  weeks  later  was  shipped  to  Philadelphia  and 
worked  for  sugar,  marking  firsts,  seconds,  and  thirds. 

The  cane  was  planted  in  hills  4  feet  apart,  and  sufficient  plant  food 
used.  The  impression  made  by  this  crop  was  that  rich  cane  could  easily 
be  grown  on  poor  land,  and  that  with  a  little  more  fertilizing  large  crops 
could  be  made.  It  has  since  been  found  by  long  and  costly  experiment 
that  all  tin'  conditions  for  Amber  cane  were  most  favorable,  excepting 
that  a  large  tonnage  could  only  have  been  secured  by  proportionately 
fertilizing. 

Season  o/1881. — Farmers  raised  the  entire  crop.  The  acreage  was 
not  known.  It  was  proved  this  year  that  with  seed  from  the  same  lot 
some  farmers  grew  cane  1  1  per  cent,  of  sugar  in  the  juice,  while  others 
grew  it  with  only  6  per  cent.  Many  conjectures  were  made,  and  the  im- 
pression prevailed  that  some  lands  were  suitable  for  cane  and  others  un- 
suitable. !t  was,  however,  apparent  that  all  who  had  the  best  reputa- 
tions for  fanning  raised  the  highest  testing  canes. 

Season  of  1883. — Cane  was  grown  by  the  company.  Pacific  guano 
high  in  nit rogeu  was  used,  and  only  Amber  cane  was  planted.  The  Late 
Orange  cane  was  grown  only  insufficient  quantity  to  supply  seed  for 
the  next  year.    The  nitrogen  had  the  effect  to  keep  the  cane's  leaves 

green  for  a  long   time,  and  even  after  frosts   the  cane  remained  in  good 

condition,  and  was  on  November  1  higher  in  sugar  than  on  September 
4.     Since  we  have  had   less   nitrogenous    fertilizing  and  'more   «>l   otiiei 


32 

plant  food  this  variety  has  steadily  fallen  in  test,  and  the  period  during 
which  it  retains  its  highest  sugar  content  has  been  shortened. 

It  is  not  safe  to  depend  on  this  variety  of  cane  for  the  whole  season, 
even  if  nitrogen  is  used  largely  with  other  plant  food,  because  of  its 
tendency  to  lodge  and  break  with  high  winds. 

Season  of  L883. — Yard  composts  and  begasse  were  used  in  such  small 
quantities  that  the  nitrogen  did  not  stand  out  prominently.  The  Amber 
had  gone  by  its  season  before  October  8,  and  had  not  the  Late  Orange 
been  substituted  this  season  for  sugar  making  would  have  ended  on 
that  day,  instead  of  November  14,  when  the  crop  was  all  in. 

i8on  r)/lS84. — Stable  manure  in  large  quantities,  also  a  dressing  of 
dissolved  bone  ash  from  South  America,  rich  only  in  phosphoric  acid, 
was  used. 

The  phosphoric  acid  ripened  the  cane  fully  two  weeks  earlier  than  usual, 
and  although  the  leaves  were  dry  the  Amber  cane  held  its  sugar  eon- 
tent  without  loss  until  worked  up  on  October  11.  The  Late  Orange  was 
affected  in  the  same  manner  according  to  its  season,  and  although  ap- 
parently dried  up,  too,  still  held  its  sugar.  Mill  juice  tanks  containing 
0,000  gallons  were  quite  common,  testing  13  to  13£  per  cent,  of  cane 
sugar  from  October  11  to  October  HO,  after  which  time  there  was  a  grad- 
ual falling  oft"  until  November  11,  when  the  tanks  stood  12  per  cent,  and 
77  purity.     This  ended  this  season,  as  the  crop  was  worked  up. 

The  small  experimental  plots  conducted  by  the  State  Experiment 
Station  have  always  showed  that  by  doubling  the  dose  of  phosphoric 
acid  the  cane  sugar  falls  oil"  seriously  ;  but  as  it  is  my  intention  to  deal 
only  with  cane  in  immense  masses  as  found  at  the  sugar  house,  1  merely 
call  attention  to  this  fact. 

This  year  produced  nearly  400,000  pounds  of  merchantable  sugar,  and 
there  was  I'ound  by  adding  the  sugar  in  the  molasses,  and  the  loss  in  the 
begasse  as  it  came  from  the  mill,  that  over  1,500,000  pounds  of  sugar 
were  in  the  crop. 

.Molasses  only  was  made  from  the  begasse  this  season,  diffusion  being 
for  the  6rs1  time  applied. 

Season  of  1886. —  No  phosphates  were  used  and  there  was  not  enough 
COmpOS^  to  properly  furnish  nitrogen  to  tin'  (Top;  still  the  nitrogen  was 
felt,  and  when  the  season  commenced  on  September  2,  the  cane  was  BO 
Screen  we  at  one  time  though!  it  would  be  better  to  stop  work.      When 

work  was  begun,  the  Amber  cane  contained  5.04  percent,  of  cane  sugar 

and  increased  to  8.8  pel1  cent,  on  September  29,  when  the  variety  was  all 
brought  in.     The  Late  Orange  cane  contained  10  percent,  of  sugar  when 

in  i  cut,  and  gradually  raised  to  12.57  per  cent., slowly  declining  to  l<> 

percent,  by  November  11,  the  end  of  the  season.     This  crop  was  planted 
practically  at   the  same  time  as  the  crop  of    1884,  and    harvested  at  the 

same  time.     Had  a  large  quantity  of  nitrogenous  fertilizing  been  used 

the  sugar  contents  would  have  been  much  higher.      Small  quantities  <>! 
nitrogen  cm   lands   deficient    in    organic    matter  will    make   poor  crops. 


33 

This  was  our  experience  again  and  again,  and  to  secure  immeuse  crops 
high  in  sugar,  potash  should  be  combined  with  nitrogen. 

Season  of  388G. — Small  quantities  of  nitrogenous  fertilizer  and  light 
dressings  of  muriate  of  potash  were  used.  The  crop  suffered  severely 
for  lack  of  food.  During  the  season,  where  plenty  of  nourishment  had 
been  supplied,  the  crop  came  to  the  standard.  When  this  was  not  the 
case,  the  Amber  seed  remained  in  a  milky  state  for  a  long  time  and 
soured  as  it  stood  in  the  field,  after  three  days  of  abnormally  hot  weather, 
making  the  cane  unfit  for  sugar  making.  The  Late  Orange  suffered 
from  lack  of  nitrogenous  fertilizing  and  the  sugar  test  rose  and  fell  in 
proportion  as  this  food  and  potash  were  present 5  but  being  a  longer 
feeder  it  did  not  suffer  throughout  the  season  so  much  as  the  Amber. 

The  Kansas  Orange  was  introduced  this  year  and,  being  a  stranger, 
the  ground  was  properly  selected,  and  composts  and  potash  applied  in 
sufficient  quantities,  a  12  per  cent,  cane  with  purities  over  70°  being 
its  record.  The  record  of  the  Late  Orange  cane,  for  the  balance  of  the 
season,  is  high  and  low  test,  according  to  the  land;  finally  ending,  with 
the  crop  all  harvested,  with  a  test  of  9.45  per  cent.  This  crop  discouraged 
the  sugar  company  notwithstanding  the  gains  by  diffusion,  which  process 
had  been  introduced  in  1884.  Local  agriculturists  pronounced  the  ver- 
dict that  the  lands  being  exhausted  by  continual  cropping  were  ruined 
and  unfit  for  crop  of  any  kind.  The  plantation  was  then  sown  in  clover ; 
no  fertilizing  was  done.  The  farmers  laughed  at  the  notion  that  land 
unable  to  grow  large  cane  crops  could  be  expected  to  grow  grass,  but 
it  did  ;  and  the  clover  crops  on  these  lands  have^been  unprecedented  and 
are  the  envy  and  wonder  of  local  farmers,  and  judging  the  land  from 
the  farmers'  own  stand-point,  it  is  to  day  in  better  condition  than  ever 
before.  The  clover  had  found  the  missing  nitrogen  and  furnished  or- 
ganic matter. 

A  lot  of  land  on  these  farms  grew  poor  cane  for  years,  and  in  1887, 
instead  of  planting  it  with  clover,  composts  and  potash  were  BO]  plied 
and  cane  planted  ;  by  planting  the  ground  with  twice  the  number  of 
hills  to  the  acre,  portions  of  the  land  approximated  28  tons  of  cane  to 
the  acre. 

Season  of  1887. — The  cane  was  planted  from  May  9  to  June  3,  and  the 
late  varieties  failed  to  mature  properly.  A  good  dressing  of  begasse 
yard  compost,  and  potash  was  used.  The  crop  was  doubled  by  planting 
;*  feet  by  24  inches;  purity  ran  about  64°  and  tests  were  good.  The 
Late  Orange  cane  ripened  sufficiently  to  retain  its  sugar  in  crj  stallizing 
quantities  through  frost  and  ice,  until  Decembers.  Particulars  of  this 
season  can  be  found  in  Bulletins  Nos,  17  and  18  of  the  Agricultural 

Department,  and  in  reports  of  t  lie  New  Jersey  Experiment  Station.     A 

small  plot  was  fertilized  with  large  quantities  of  oitrogenous  manure 

and  planted  with  Amber  svi'il  grown  in  L886,  from  which  no  cane  BUgar 
could   be  made.     The   cane  was  tested   on    September  7,  1887,  and  was 

found  to  test  L3.35  per  cent  cane  sugar;  brix,  17.21°  j  purity,78°j  and 
H066— Bull.  20 — ;; 


34 

it  remained  a  long  time  after  ill  fine  condition.  The  same  day  milled 
chips  from  a  field  planted  from  the  same  lot  of  seed  and  fertilized  with 
potash  and  phosphoric  acid,  polarized  S.SS°,  and  had  a  purity  of  03  61. 

Season  0/I888. — Only  complete  fertilizers  were  used  on  one  field,  and 
muriate  of  potash  was  spread  on  another  field  that  was  poor  and  had 
never  been  in  cane.  The  hills  were  3  feet  by  2-4  iuches.  Amber  cane 
was  planted  on  May  18,  and  Kansas  Orange  and  Late  Orange  from  May 
11)  to  June  10.  A  cold,  wet  June  followed,  and  the  result  was  unripe 
cane.  The  crop  was  taken  off  between  September  23  and  November  1. 
The  Amber  cane  was  very  poor  in  sugar.  The  Kansas  Orange  ran  from 
9.58°  to  8.25°.  The  stand  on  one  field  of  Orange  (Kansas)  was  preserved 
intact  from  cut  and  wire  worms,  by  patches  of  volunteer  canes,  where 
seed  had  been  stacked  previously,  and  some  seed  had  been  left  on  the 
ground.  The  worms  gathered  where  plants  were  the  thickest,  leaving 
the  hills  almost  unmolested.  When  the  ravages  are  feared  seed  could 
be  sprinkled  down  the  center  of  the  rows,  and  afterwards  be  destroyed 
by  the  cultivator  without  extra  expense.  They  only  destroy  while 
the  plants  are  very  small  and  disappear  with  the  return  of  dry,  hot 
weather. 

The  Late  Orange  tested  from  G.91  to  0.51.  Scarcely  any  seed  on  this 
variety  was  ripe,  and  in  a  great  many  of  the  plumes  seed  was  not  formed 
neither  had  the  cane  power  to  resist  ice  and  frost.  These  facts  prove 
conclusively  that  the  safe  time  for  planting  Late  Orange  has  been  passed. 
It  is  possibly  true  this  variety  might  have  been  very  rich  in  sugar,  with 
a  late  fall  and  hot  weather  during  June  and  September  ;  but  this  risk  is 
not  a  safe  one,  and  as  it  positively  can  be  avoided  by  earlier  planting- 
it  should  be  done. 

OBSERVATIONS. 

The  time  for  planting  cane  in  this  climate  is,  for  Marly  Amber 
not  later  than  May  20;  Kansas  Orange,  not  later  than  .May  lOj  Late 
Orange,  not  later  than  .May   1.     Ten  days  earlier  can  safely  be  risked. 

Nitrogen  prolongs  the  vitality  in  cane. 

Nitrogenous  fertilizers  Combined  with  potash  is  the  best  combination 
for  huge  crops  and  high  testing  juice.  Phosphoric  acid  hastens  the 
ripening  of  the  cane  aboul   two  weeks,  ami  too  much  phosphoric  acid 

reduce8  the  quantity  of  sugar  in  the  juice. 

Potash  makes  large  ami  strong  stalks.  If  canes  are  desired  to  be 
worked  alter  frost  and  ice,  they  must  be  supplied  with  ample  food,  be 
well  grown,  ami  of  a  late  variety.  I  f  canes  are  not  well  advanced  when 
frosts  and  ice  strike  them,  they  will  not  be  able  to  hold  the  cane  sugar 
long. 

The  earlier  the  variety  the  latei  it  should  be  planted.  If  canes  in- 
crease rapidly  in  cane  sugar  soon  after  frost  strikes  them  they  will  soon 

be   worthless    for    sugar  -ma  k  lug.       If   they   do    not   increase   at    all,   or 

\n>  little,  they  will  remain  good  for  a  long  time,  providing  the  frost 
was   severe    enough    to    kill,  or   almost    kill,   the  leaves.     The    Amber 


35 

has  less  power  to  resist  frost  and  ice  than  Kansas  Orange,  and  the 
Kansas  Orange  less  than  the  Late  Orange.  The  time  which  the  sugar 
remains  in  high  percentage  in  the  cane  is  largely  under  the  control  of 
the  cultivator.  In  all  attempts  to  improve  the  seed  by  selection  and 
increase  the  sugar  and  purity,  the  cultivation  must  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration. High  testing  seed  will  make  poor  testing  canes,  if  plant 
food  is  not  present  in  sufficient  quantities,  or  if  the  cultivation  is  neg- 
lected. Poor  testing  seed  will  give  high  testing  canes  if  the  seed  is  of 
a  good  variety,  and  ample  food  hns  been  supplied,  with  good  culti- 
vation. 

Canes  can  not  be  grown,  rich  in  sugar,  by  starving  them.  Ground 
well  supplied  with  plant  food  and  badly  cultivated  will  give  very  small 
canes,  rich  in  sugar.  That  there  are  other  peculiarities  in  other  varie- 
ties is  shown  plainly  in  the  case  of  the  White  African.  Although 
planted  late  last  spring,  and  the  ground  fertilized  precisely  like  the 
Amber  and  Kansas  Orange,  it  contained  this  year  12.30  per  cent,  cane 
sugar,  purity  09°  on  September  27,  time  the  field  was  cut.  The  seed 
was  given  to  the  writer  by  Dr.  Collier  along  with  sixty-eight  other  va- 
rieties in  1883,  all  of  which  were  planted;  but  for  certain  good  reasons 
this  cane  was  the  only  one  selected  from  the  lot.  It  has  been  grown 
since  then  each  year,  always  giving  high  percentages  of  sugar.  Some 
of  its  peculiarities  are,  viz,  the  unusual  toughness  of  its  stalk,  when 
overripe,  and  its  great  strength  at  all  times. 

It  is  hard,  for  some  unexplained  reason,  to  get  a  good  stand.  The 
seed  is  white,  and  local  millers,  with  their  crude  appliances,  have  told 
me  that  they  can  get  30  pounds  of  flour  from  1  bushel  of  seed,  which, 
mixed  with  a  small  proportion  of  wheat  flour,  is  preferred  1o  buckwheat. 
The  birds  ravage  the  seed,  and  will  select  it  from  a  hill  planted  with 
mixed  Orange  and  Amber  canes,  leaving  the  other  varieties  unmolested. 
In  order  to  be  protected  from  these  depredators  and  secure  the  sod, 
plots  of  sufficient  size  must  be  raised  and  calculations  made  for  this 
loss.  It  has  been  found  true  hero  that  they  will  not  take  quite  all  the 
seed  from  1  acre  in  a  season,  consequently  plots  of  5  or  10  acres  are 
comparatively  protected. 

The  purity  of  the  canes  of  this  variety  has  been  noticed  as  high  as 
77.020. 

The  cane  has  not  been  properly  studied,  and  the  birds  have  taken 
nearly  all  the  good  seed  from  the  acre  raised  this  season. 

M  \M    I    \«l  I    KIMi. 

I  will  confine  myself,  in  my  report,  to  met  hods  adopted  for  the  first 
time  this  year. 

Sawdust  Jitters.—  It  has  always  been  found  that  filtration  of  the  juice 
through  some  medium  that  would  remove  the  particles  of  mat ter  me- 
chanically suspended  \\  as  neces>  ir\ .  Tor  t  wo  years,  filter  piesses  were 
used.     It  was  found  if  the  juice  was  acid  the\   soon  became  gummy  and 


36 

refused  to  run ;  if  the  juice  was  alkaline  it  would  filter  much  better 
but  gave  highly  colored  products. 

Last  year  Dr.  Wiley  advised  the  use  of  sand.  This  gave  good  results 
for  a  time,  but  gradually  ran  slow  and  failed  to  give  satisfaction.  The 
size  of  the  filters,  in  proportion  to  the  juice  worked,  was  very  large,  and 
it  soured  easily. 

During  the  past  winter  experiments  were  constantly  carried  on  witli 
the  hope  that  something  practical,  cheap,  and  easily  handled  would  be 
discovered.  Experiments  were  made  with  bone  black,  coal,  sand 
gravel,  oat  straw,  wheat  straw,  grasses,  sedges,  excelsior  packing,  and 
many  other  things,  all  of  which  proved  unable  to  do  the  work  required, 
were  too  costly,  bulky,  or  in  some  other  way  not  desirable.  It  was  ac- 
cidentally found  that  tbe  coarse  sawdust  as  it  came  from  the  mil! 
would  do  the  work. 

Shallow  filters  arc  better  than  deep  ones,  and  in  well  conducted  ex 
periments  the  juice  was  so  well  cleared  of  its  mechanical  impurities 
that  it  appeared  to  be  bleached. 

Examinations  of  the  filters  showed,  among  other  things,  soot  from 
the  chimney,  mud,  and  dirt.  The  juice  was  actually  cleansed.  The  filtei 
used  in  this  season's  work  was  constructed  as  follows:  A  board  twelve 
inches  wide  was  cut  in  four  pieces  and  a  box  made  4  feet  long  by  2  feet 
wide;  a  wire  screen  with  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  mesh  was  fastened 
on  the  bottom,  and  three  inches  of  sawdust  placed  within  it.  Care 
should  be  taken  that  something  should  be  placed  over  the  sawdust  to 
break  the  fall  of  the  juice  and  prevent  guttering. 

It  was  found  in  practice  that  1  bushel  of  sawdust  was  sufficient  to 
filter  the  juice  from  15  tons  of  cane,  and  that  the  filter  should  be  re- 
newed every  twelve  hours. 

It  may  also  be  well  to  state  that  the  hot  juice  as  it  came  from  the 
evaporator  was  run  through  a  sawdust  filter,  removing  scum,  scale, 
dirt,  etc 

Double  shredding. — In  1885  samples  were  taken  of  the  exhausted 
chips  as  they  came  from  the  German  diffusion  battery  and  it  was  found 
that  better  diffusion  had  taken  place  in  small  chips  tlmn'tVom  a  larger 
size;  and  last  season  this  was  found  true  also  of  the  battery  which  was 
then  being  tried  for  the  first  time.  All  attempts  to  obtain  a  chip  ol 
the  size  required  failed,  owing  to  the  following  facts:  [f  the  knives  oi 

the  shredder  and  the  cutting  bar  were  placed  BO  closely  together  that 
the  small  chips  might  be  made  either  the  shredder  would  not  i'vod  fast 
enough  or  the  knives  would  clog  with  the  tine  cane  and  stop  cutting. 
It  was  found   this   season    that    by  making   the   ordinary  cut    fust    and 

afterwards  allowing  the  edge  of  the  knives  to  project  beyond  the  cyl- 
inder very  slightly,  and  by  moving  the  cutting-bar  closer  and  passing 
the  previously  cut  cane  through  a  second  time,  the  chips  could  be  made 
as  line  as  possible  or  as  desirable. 

It  was  found  in  actual  work  that  baskets  of  cane  tilled  with  chips  of  the 


37 

customary  size  weighed  160  pounds,  and  packed  in  the  same  way  with  the 
re-shredded  chips  weighed  212  pounds,  thus  iucreasing  the  capacity  of 
the  battery,  and  by  its  close  packing  increasing  the  density  of  the 
juice. 

It  is  to  be  hoped,  notwithstanding  the  brilliancy  of  these  results,  that 
manufacturers  will  not  at  once  attempt  to  double  shred  their  chips,  be- 
cause the  second  time  they  go  through  they  are  not  self- feeding,  and 
machines  should  be  invented  and  proven  equal  to  their  task  before  a 
commercial  season  should  be  risked. 

Evaporator. — In  accordance  with  your  instructions,  I  constructed  an 
open  evaporator  to  be  run  by  crude  oil  (petroleum).  Parallel  brick 
walls  13  inches  thick,  34  feet  long,  and  24  inches  high  were  constructed. 
At  one  end  was  an  iron  stack,  and  at  the  opposite  end  were  the  burners. 
Upon  the  walls  was  placed  an  open  evaporator  of  sheet  iron  1  foot  high, 
30  feet  long,  and  4  feet  broad,  divided  by  partitions  8  inches  apart,  6 
inches  high,  and  45  inches  long.  The  juice  entered  the  pan  over  the 
burners,  discharged  at  the  opposite  end,  traversing  a  distance  of  about 
1G4  feet  in  twelve  minutes.  The  skimmings  remained  at  the  end  over 
the  burners  and  were  easily  removed.  As  this  was  the  first  time,  to 
my  knowledge,  that  crude  oil  had  been  applied  to  sugar  work,  I  was 
able  to  collect  little  data  to  guide  me.  After  examining  personally  the 
burners  in  use  for  steam-boilers,  I  finally  adopted  one  belonging  to  II. 
W.  Whiting,  of.  Philadelphia.  He  advised  me  to  place  three  burners 
at  the  end,  and  inserting  in  the  brick-work,  at  intervals  of  1  foot,  inch 
pipes,  to  extend  completely  through  the  walls  and  flues  and  to  be  per- 
forated with  holes  one  fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter  and  3  inches  apart. 
The  intention  was  that  air  should  pass  through  the  end  of  these  pipes, 
then  through  the  perforated  holes  into  the  flue,  and  thus  aid  combustion. 

The  burners  were  made  from  2-inch  pipes  with  a  T  fitting  opening  at 
the  bottom  to  supply  air  on  the  Bunsen  burner  principle  ;  the  oil  passed 
through  a  quarter-inch  pipe,  through  a  cock  into  a  1 }  inch  coil  \\  inch 
in  diameter,  so  placed  as  to  receive  a  large  portion  of  the  heat  from  the 
burners  ;  there  is  also  a  quarter-inch  steam  pipe  leading  into  the  end  of 
the  pipe,  so  that  the  oil  and  steam  can  be  mixed  as  it  passes  into  the  hot 
coil,  or  superheater,  as  it  is  named.  When  the  oil  is  converted  into  gas 
from  the  superheater  it  passes  into  the  Bunsen  burner  and  is  forced 
through  it  by  another  Steam  jet  and  burned  from  the  opening. 

In  our  fust  experiment  Bradford  crude  oil  was  used,  and  in  our  final 
experiments  black  residuum  of  the  refineries,  which  I  have  been  informed 

is  the  product  left  behind  after  the  light  oils  have  been  (list  illed  oil. 

In  practice  we  could  And  very  little  difference  in  the  beating  of  the 

two  oils.     Lima  oil  could  not  be  had  in  quantity  less  than  6,000  gallons; 
Consequently  it  was  not  used. 

It  was  found  in  starting  the  burners  that  a  stack  10  inches  in  diame- 
ter* was  too  small,  the  effect  in  practice  being  to  cause  explosion  of  gas* 

A  stack  of  24  inches  diameter  w  as  substituted  ;   this  stopped  all  e\plo- 


38 

sious,  but  wasted  the  heat.  Dampers  made  cf  fire-clay  were  then  used, 
and  it  was  found  that  after  the  superheater  was  hot  enough  to  generate 
gas  freely  the  dampers  could  be  safely  closed.  Care  had  been  taken 
in  constructing  the  dampers  to  arrange  them  so  that  there  was  left  on 
the  sides  a  space  equal  to  about  12  inches  square  after  they  were  in.  A 
further  improvement  in  the  heating  was  made  by  tilling  in  next  to  the 
stack  with  dirt.  This  bank  of  earth  was  then  extended  back  into  the 
flue  for  about  its  length  and  paved  on  the  top  with  bricks.  There  was  left 
a  space  of  about  9  inches  between  the  pavement  and  the  bottom  of  the 
evaporator;  and  in  tilling  in  the  flue  the  combustion  pipes  were  cov- 
ered up  for  the  length  of  the  embankment.  The  combustion  pipes 
directly  in  front  of  the  flame  were  soon  burnt  out.  No  detrimental 
effects  being  perceptible  from  the  loss  of  this  air,  it  is  safe  to  conclude 
that  they  were  of  no  value. 

The  owner  of  the  burners  thought  we  would  evaporate  at  least  15 
pounds  of  water  for  each  pound  of  oil  burned,  and  hoped  we  would 
reach  18  or  20  pounds.  The  record  of  the  best  day's  work  shows  7-ft 
pounds.  It  is  hut  just  to  say  that  the  evaporator  was  entirely  too 
large  for  the  work  it  had  to  do,  and  the  walls  had  time  to  cool  before 
starting  each  day.  Xow  it  is  found  that  if  the  walls  and  surrounding 
mediums  are  much  lower  than  the  temperature  of  the  gaseous  prod- 
uct of  the  Bunsen  burners,  condensation  takes  place  and  the  oil  is 
fried,  as  it  is  called,  instead  of  being  generated  into  gas,  which  is 
wasteful  in  the  extreme.  One-third  of  all  the  oil  burned  was  generally 
used  in  starting  the  burners  each  day.  Another  source  of  loss  long 
evaded  our  researches.  It  was  caused  by  using  cocks  to  feed  oil  to  the 
superheater.  A  common  quarter-inch  globe  valve  was  substituted  for 
the  cock,  which  brought  the  burners  under  full  control  and  enabled  us 
to  burn  only  one-quarter  as  much  oil.  I  in  ike  the  suggestion  that 
pipes  for  supplying  oil  to  the  superheater  should  should  be  less  than 
one-quarter  inch;  that  globe  valves  less  than  one-quarter  inch  he  used, 
and  that  threads  that  regulate  these  valves  he  made  as  line  as  pos- 
sible, so  that  they  may  have  the  most  delicate  adjustment.  I  can  not 
tell  the  saving  of  all  these  apparent  improvements,  because,  I  had  not 
time  to  get  the  record  properly.  Taking  the  record  as  it  is  and  count- 
ing the  juice  of  oil  at  $1.25  per  banc],  about  one- hall"  of  the  water  was 
removed  from  the  diffusion  juice  of  each    ton   of  field  cane  for  31  cents 

per  ton. 
The  advantages  of  the  evaporation  are:  (1)  Cleanliness  and  freedom 

from  smoke  and  ashes :  (2)  the  Little  attention  required  to  run  it:  (o) 

the  good    and  rapid  work  done. 

Wit  li  rapid  running  the  inversion  is  almost  nothing;  in  fact,  after 
evaporation  it  is  sometimes  higher  in  purity  than  he  loir,  alter  removing 
the  scum. 

It  should  hr  remembered  that   the  unrefinable   lama  oil  has  been 

quoted  at  the  wells  for  L5  cents,  which  would   lower  the   price  for  evap- 


39 

oration  of  their  juice  in  that  section  to  4  cents  per  ton.  The  loss  in 
starting  could  be  avoided  very  much  by  proportioning  the  evaporator 
to  the  size  of  the  house. 

The  Battery.— The  designing,  building,  and  breaking  in  of  such  an 
apparatus  as  a  new  diffusion  battery  on  an  entirely  new  principle  could 
not  but  prove  a  gigantic  task. 

The  object  of  the  battery  at  first  was  to  make  a  cheap  diffusion  bat- 
tery, applicable  to  small  houses;  second  to  make  thick  juice. 

For  three  seasons  laboratory  experiments  were  carried  on  at  Rio 
Grande  and  dense  juices  made  by  diffusion,  equal  to  mill  juice  from  un- 
shipped cane,  and  the  principles  by  which  this  juice  was  obtained  were 
incorporated  in  this  battery. 

The  season  last  year  was  devoted  completed  to  the  breaking  in  and 
finding  out  the  rules  governing  this  machine. 

The  ram  constructed  to  lift  the  baskets,  last  season,  worked  slowly. 
AYhcn  making  some  changes  this  fall  the  cause  was  located  and  cor- 
rected. Owing  to  this  mechanical  difficulty  and  being  forced  to  take 
off  a  crop  promptly,  it  was  not  until  later  in  the  season  that  plans  could 
be  put  in  practice  which  would  remedy  defects  in  heating  and  extrac- 
tion. This  was  tried  with  temporary  arrangements,  but  the  results 
were  considered  so  high  that  it  was  objected  to  on  the  ground  that  the 
time  during  which  the  experiments  were  conducted  was  too  short  to 
thoroughly  demonstrate  the  facts. 

The  chemist  of  the  New  Jersey  Experiment  Station,  after  carefully 
going  over  his  work,  says,  reporting  on  this  experiment : 

The  best  work  accomplished  by  the  Rio  Grande  battery  was  90  percent,  extraction, 
dilution  11.5° ;  pnrity,  declined  1  . 

The  cell  necessary  lor  heating  the  chips  properly  and  thickening  the 
juice  is  placed  outside  of  the  battery  and  is  called  the  eleventh  cell. 
This  year  this  apparatus  was  added  to  the  regular  work,  and  from  the 
first  day  never  failed  to  give  satisfaction.  It  is  found  that  when  the 
cane  is  carefully  packed  into  the  baskets  the  gain  is  not  SO  great  as 
when  the  baskets  are  loosely  packed ;  at  such  times  the  full  value  of 
the  eleventh  cell  appears,  gaining  LP  ro  3°  Drix. 

The  entire  apparatus  worked  without  delay,  and  the  meehanieal  ar- 
rangements were  very  complete.  For  a  battery  of  1<>  tons,  the  baskets 
and  cane  together  will  not  weigh  b><>  pounds,  and  the  lift  will  be  con- 
siderably less  than  4  feet;  consequently  400x10=4,000  pounds  to  be 
lifted,  and  4,000 X  1  =  10,000  pounds  to  be  raised  1  foot  high  at  each 
movement  of  crane.  'I'll.'  crane  makes  twenty  movements  in  an  hour 
or  once  every  three  minutes  j  COU8equent  ly  16,0004-3=5,333  pounds 
raised  1  foot  high  each  minute,  or  less   than  one-si\th  of  a   horsepower 

is  required. 

There  is  to  be  added  to  this  the  COSl  of  raising  the  water  for  supph  ing 
the  battery  and  the  movement  of  the  juice;  but  with  the.se  all  added 
the  cost  forpower  IS  found  to  be   merely  nominal. 


40 

With  double  shredded  cane  and  actual  running,  the  dilution  was  re- 
duced to  4i  per  cent,  and  approximated  the  mill  juice  within  four-tenths 
of  a  Brix,  with  a  loss  of  only  10  pounds  of  sugar  left  in  each  ton  of 
cane.  The  Brix  of  the  milled  diffusion  chips  showed  from  1J  to  2. 
Without  double  shredding  the  battery  gave  within  ^  to  2°  Brix  of  the 
mill  juice,  and  left  about  16  pounds  of  sugar  in  the  chips  per  ton  of 
cane.  The  purity  fell  oft'  one  to  two  degrees,  but  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  no  chemicals  were  used  to  prevent  it.  There  is  always  a 
percentage,  about  2  per  cent.,  of  leaves  and  sheaths  which  pass  the 
cleaners,  and  as  their  purity  is  very  low  they  must  reduce  the  purity 
of  the  diffusion  juice.  Lime  and  its  salts  and  sulphites  have  been  used 
in  batteries,  and  have  appeared  to  give  juice  of  as  high  a  purity  as  the 
mill  juice;  but  it  would  have  to  be  shown  that  some  of  the  glucose  had 
not  been  destroyed  before  the  point  can  be  positively  settled.  Besides, 
alkalies  used  on  the  fiber  in  the  cells  and  clarifiers  where  the  fiber  is 
present  are  believed  to  produce  gum. 

It  has  been  observed  this  season  that  when  scum  raised  in  the  chips 
from  heat,  while  diffusion  was  going  on.  that  the  juice  coining  from  this 
battery  was  higher  in  purity  than  mill  juice.  There  is  no  evidence  that 
the  air  passes  through  the  cane,  while  being  diffused,  except  when  first 
heated;  neither  do  the  juice  or  chips  turn  black  while  diffusing,  as  is 
supposed  by  some;  and  the  color  of  the  juice  will  compare  favorably 
with  the  mill  juice. 

INVERSION  AND   CLARIFYING. 

( "onsiderable  inversion  has  taken  place  in  the  house  this  season.  The 
most  of  the  inversion  takes  place  by  permitting  the  juice  to  stand  hot 
for  a  considerable  time  in  tanks,  and  in  process  of  manufacture  this 
should  be  carefully  avoided. 

This  is  the  third  year  during  which  we  have  used  no  claritiers,  and  the 
writer  does  not  see  what  use  they  are  with  the  present  knowledge  of 
tlic  juice.  Alkalies  used  too  freely  in  the  battery  or  in  the  claritiers 
when  fiber  is  mechanically  suspended  are  thought  to  produce  gum  and 
prevent  crystallization,  although  the  instruments  may  show  no  loss 
from  inversion.  After  the  juice  has  been  filtered,  the  addition  of  alkali 
in  not  too  Large  quantities,  SO  that  the  juice  would  be  neutral,  or,  better 
still,  slightly  acid,  would  no  doubt  prevent  some  inversion.  The  cor- 
rect method  of  properly  clarifying  the  juice  ot  the  sorghum  so  that  the 
"DOl  sugar"  parts  can  be  precipitated,  and  the  purity  be  made  to  gain 
largely,  is  not  known  to  the  writer.  Rapid  running  in  the  diffusion 
battery  and  quick  running  in  the  open  evaporator  will    almost  entirely 

prevent  the  inversion  of  sugar. 

COMMERCIAL   POINTS   ami   a  i  \ii.i\K\    HOUSES, 

The  auxiliary  houses  have  been  ste.dily  kept  in  view  during  the  sea- 
son's work,  and  the  fact  has  been  remembered  that  the  industry  will 
spread  and  succeed  at  a  much  quicker  rate  if  the  capital   necessary  to 


41 

conduct  the  business  is  kept  as  low  as  possibly  consistent  with  good 
management.  The  cost  of  building  sugar-houses  is  reduced  to  a  mini- 
mum, and  labor  saved.  There  is  no  good  reason  to  expect  to  make 
money  out  of  the  sorghum  business  unless  conducted  on  sound  busi- 
ness principles.  The  knowledge  of  the  business  is  now  advanced  to 
such  a  point  that  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  accurate  calculations  being 
made.  The  cost  of  the  machinery,  the  work  it  can  do,  the  labor  re- 
quired to  run  it,  the  cost  of  the  cane,  the  yield  and  quality  of  the  product 
can  now  all  be  closely  estimated. 

Sugar-houses  built  without  definite  ideas  of  the  work  to  be  done  or 
machinery  added  piece  by  piece,  without  plans  or  contracts,  and  such 
machinery  as  clarifiers,  as  filter  presses,  and  bone-black  drones  added, 
with  the  expectation  of  only  making  white  granulated  sugar  directly 
from  the  juice,  will  be  certain  to  bring  financial  failure  and  disappoint- 
ment to  its  projectors,  unless  the  capital  is  heavy  enough  to  stand  the 
strain,  or  the  parties  are  willing  to  make  experimental  work  of  their 
plants  and  pay  the  price  for  doing  it.  Notwithstanding  the  closeness 
with  which  all  these  calculations  can  now  be  made,  the  following1  should 
be  remembered.  I  have  never  known  a  sugar-house  of  any  kind  to  be 
made  so  complete  and  be  in  such  fine  running  order  that  it  could  be 
depended  on  to  make  a  commercial  success  the  first  season.  Either  its 
water  arrangements  will  fall  short  of  expectations,  or  the  boilers  fail  to 
be  large  enough,  or  strikes  and  delays  will  detain  the  machinery,  or 
castings  will  be  broken  in  shipping,  or  some  minor  points  will  be  badly 
proportioned  or  too  weak,  foundations  will  prove  not  sufficiently  secure, 
shafts  will  be  found  out  of  line,  etc.  All  this  will  occur,  not  from  any 
bad  management,  but  because  the  nature  of  the  work  is  such  that  the 
tactory  can  only  perform  its  task  satisfactorily  after  being  broken  in  on 
cane.  The  caue  alone  can  give  the  necessary  adjustment.  Erroneous 
and  disappointing  calculations  have  been  made  by  celebrated  sugar 
engineers,  in  making  calculations  for  sorghum,  by  using  well  known 
standard  rules  for  the  evaporation  of  water  as  a  basis  for  calculation; 
and  repeatedly  has  machinery  proved  suitable  for  southern  cane  failed 
when  applied  to  this  work.  The  moral  of  nil  this  is  that  in  construct- 
ing new  works  there  should  be  only  enough  cane  raised  the  first  season 
to  break  in  and  test  the  BUgar-house  thoroughly  in  every  part,  in  order 
that  when  the  machinery  is  called  upon  the  succeeding  season  it  would 
fulfill  the  work  it  had  been  calculated  to  do,  without  delay  or  hin- 
drance. 

The  expense  of  doing  all  this  should  be  allowed  lor  in  the  capital 
account. 

In  some  sorghum-houses,  calculated  to  work  100  tons  of  cane  a  day, 
will  be  found  Strike  vacuum  pans  of  such  large  size  that  the  cost  of 
erecting  them   and   the    pumps   necessary  for  their  use.  the   large   pipe 

fittings,  and  other  paraphernalia  will  cost  as  much  alone  as  would  suffice 

to  build  an  economical  sugar  house  of  good  size. 


42 

Experience  has  taught  us  that  there  is  a  limit  to  the  size  of  sugar- 
houses,  and  that  it  costs  very  little  more  to  man  a  40-ton  house  than 
a  20  ton,  and  the  proportionate  cost  of  constructing  is  greatly  in  favor 
of  the  40-ton  plant.  For  sugar-houses  of  larger  size,  I  can  not  yet  give 
accurate  data  with  safety. 

The  following  is  a  plan  based  on  calculations  made  from  actual  work 
already  done;  the  rules  known  to  govern  the  situation  are  carefully  ap- 
plied and  full  allowance  made  for  such  errors. 

(1)  The  plan  of  a  sugar-house  complete  for  making  sugar,  according 
to  the  process  in  use  at  lvio  Grande.  The  sugar  will  be  brown  or  yel- 
low, and  test  80  to  90°.  It  is  suitable  for  some  domestic  purposes  and 
for  refining.  The  molasses  will  be  of  fair  color,  suitable  for  mixing  and 
baking  purposes. 

These  sugars  can  be  washed  in  centrifugals  and  made  quite  white,  of 
high  test,  but  at  the  expense  of  the  yield.  The  proper  place  for  them 
is  in  a  sugar  refinery  to  be  remelted  and  run  through  black. 

(2)  An  auxiliary  house  for  making  sirup  and  retaining  the  sugar  in 
the  sirup.  Inversion  would  have  to  be  as  carefully  avoided  as  possible. 
These  goods  or  products  would  be  very  fine,  and  could  be  sold  on  their 
merits  for  immediate  consumption,  or  find  a  market  on  their  tests  and 
color  at  the  Central  Sugar-House. 

The  large  vacuum  pans  referred  to  are  well  calculated  to  work  up 
goods  in  this  condition,  in  immense  quantities  j  the  sugar  could  be  re- 
melted  and  run  through  black. 

Dr.  A.  T.  Nealc,  of  the  New  Jersey  Experiment  Station,  spent  the 
season  at  the  sugar  house.  He  had  control  of  the  chemical  department, 
and  results  of  his  work  will  be  found  in  a  bulletin  to  be  soon  pub- 
lished by  that   station. 

I  respectfully  submit  the  above  report,  with  thanks  to  you  personally 
for  your  uniform  courtesy  and  support. 


RECORD  OF  THE  ANALYSES  MADE  AT  RIO  GRANDE  DURING 
THE  SEASON  OF  1888. 


By  Dr.  Arthub  T.  XealfJ 


In  addition  to  studying  the  construction,  the  arrraugement,  and  the 

management  of  the  machinery,  the  chemist  of  this  station  attempted 
to  determine,  at  least  once  each  day,  the  percentage  of  sugar  in  the  sor- 
ghum, as  well  as  the  percentage  of  sugar  in  the  products  from  each 
piece  of  apparatus  used  in  this  house.  Breaks  occur  in  this  record 
whenever  it  was  necessary  for  him  either  to  return  for  a  day  to  New 
Brunswick  or  to  devote  his  entire  attention  to  some  one  point  of  special 
interest. 

The  house  was  not  open  for  work  until  the  26th  of  September,  and 
a  few  of  the  samples  of  cane  analyzed  about  the  120th  of  that  month 
were  taken  from  the  crop  standing  in  the  fields.  Such  samples  were 
shipped  and  topped  by  hand.  Allot  the  other  samples  were  drawn 
from  cane  which  was  cleaned  by  machinery.  They  represent  in  each 
case,  approximately,  1,000  pounds  of  well-mixed  shreds. 

The  varieties  of  sorghum  planted  were:  Early  Amber  on  field  No.  1; 
I. ate  Orange  on  that  portion  of  field  No.  12  which  was  worked  alter 
the  23d  of  October;  White  African  on  a  portion  of  field  No.  2  har- 
vested on  the  27th  instant,  and  Kansas  Orange  in  all  other  cases. 

The  exhausted  chips  were  sampled  as  fast  as  they  were  removed  from 
the  batteryj  a  roughly  measured  quantity  being  taken  ill  each  case 
from  each  one  of  ten  baskets.     'I'll esc  portions  were  subsequently  mixed, 

subsampled,  and  milled  in  the  usual  manner. 

With  a  few  exceptions,  the  samples  of  diffusion  juice  were,  in  all 
cases,  drawn  from  a  tank  holding  300  gallons.  The  samples  of  the 
evaporator  product  were  also  drawn  from  a  similar  tank.  The  record 
in  detail  is  shown  on  the  following  pa 

The  averages  drawn  in  this  table  prove  that  the  cane  crop  m  1888, 
relati\  e  to  that  of  1887,  was  poorer  in  sugar  by  0.75  per  eent.  and  lower 

*  Ball.  No.  51.  Lgrioaltural  Experiment  Station,  pp.  LS 

43 


44 

in  purity  by  5.6  degrees.  The  farmers'  explanations  for  this  are:  first, 
late  planting;  second,  early  frosts.  In  some  cases  the  seed  were 
dropped  after  June  1st,  and  in  all  cases  the  leaves  were  killed  by  the 
frosts  which  occurred  this  year  on  the  4th  of  October,  or  ten  days 
earlier  than  usual.  Late  orange  sorghum,  in  particular,  seems  to  have 
suffered  b}T  these  conditions,  for  while  the  cane  was  very  large  and  ap- 
parently well  developed,  its  juice  averaged  less  than  6.5  per  cent,  of 
sugar.  Its  seed  crop  was  practically  worthless,  for  a  very  small  propor- 
tion of  tops  had  matured.  In  1887  this  variety  was  well  developed  when 
the  first  frost  killed  the  cane  leaves.  Its  juice  then  contained,  approxi- 
mately, 10  percent,  of  sugar. 

A  comparison  of  the  analyses  credited  to  the  cane  and  to  the  diffusion 
juices  leads  to  the  following  calculations:  One  hundred  pounds  of  solid 
matter,  i.  c,  sugar,  etc.,  existed  on  the  average  in  715  pounds  of  cane 
juice,  or  in  020  pounds  of  diffusion  juice ;  that  is,  cane  juice  was  diluted 
28.V)  per  cent,  by  the  diffusion  process.  If  a  similar  calculation  is  made 
from  the  records  for  the  season  of  1887,  the  dilution  will  be  fixed  at  25.4 
per  cent.  The  decreased  purity  of  the  diffusion  juice  was,  each  year, 
identical;  it  amounted  to  2.1  degrees. 

The  exhausted  chips,  or  diffusion  bagasse,  which  represented  1  ton 
of  field  sorghum,  contained  on  the  average,  in  1887,  40^-  pounds  of 
sugar,  or  35  per  cent,  of  the  total  amount  present  in  the  cane.  In  1888 
the  losses  of  sugar  in  exhausted  chips  amounted  to22-1i0  pounds,  or  21 
per  cent,  of  the  total  amount  present  in  the  average  cane  for  that  year. 

In  1887  the  diffusion  juice  was  concentrated  in  an  open  evaporator 
with  the  aid  of  steam  ;  it  was  reduced  by  this  treatment  to  a  fraction 
more  than  one-third  of  its  original  volume,  at  an  expense  of  4.3  degrees 
of  purity,  which  was  probably  due  to  inversion  of*  its  sugar  by  heat. 
In  1888  the  flame  from  burning  fuel  oil  came  in  contact  with  the  bottom 
of  the  evaporator;  the  diffusion  juice  passed  in  an  unbroken  stream 
over  this  heated  surface,  and  was  thereby  reduced  to  less  than  one-half 
of  its  original  volume.  Its  purity  was  decreased  on  the  average  by  less 
than  1  degree. 

The  following  will  serve  as  a  summary:  In  1887, 66  per  cent.,  in  1888, 
70  per  cent.,  of  the  total  sugar  in  the  cane  was  extracted.  In  this  re- 
spect, therefore,  the  improvement  has  been  very  great    The  diffusion 

process,  in  1887,  diluted  cane  juice  by  25.4  percent.;  in  18SS  this  dilu- 
tion amounted  t<>  28.8  per  cent. 

The  purity  Of  (he  cane  juice  was  influenced  each  year  in  the  same 
manner  and  to  the  same  extent,  viz:  decreased  by  2.1  degrees.  The 
concent  rat  ion  of  t  lie  diffusion  juice  was  accomplished  in  1888  with  con- 
siderable less  than  the  usual  losses  by  inversion. 


45 


Table  of  analyses  at  Rio  Grande,  season  of  1888. 


1888. 

Fresh  chips. 

Diffusion  juice. 

Evaporated  product 

Exhausted  chips. 

s 

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U-i 

o 
d 

© 

© 

s 

G 

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s 

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0 

CO 

(H 

o 

© 

© 

u 
© 
Ph 

3 
Ph 

13 

© 

© 

E 

o 
o 
M 

pq 

i 

s 

GO 
«M 

o 

a 
© 

W 

U 

© 

pu 

3 

© 
© 

© 
o 

'u 

pq 

i 

0 
X 
C|H 

o 

a 
© 
© 
u 
© 
Ph 

3 
- 

© 

© 

m 

© 
© 

H 

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pq 

u 

03 
fcC 

3 
CO 
cm 

o 

-fi 

a 
© 
© 

■- 

Ph 

3 
Ph 

1 

Sept.  20 

Sept.  26 

12.96 
13.38 
13.70 
18.  55 
17.81 
15.40 

6.62 
6.84 

7.35 

51.1 
51.1 

f>:;.  (i 

1 

11.50 

11.61 

5.88 
6.02 

51.1 
51.9 

29.20 

15.13 

51.8 

1 

Sept.  27 

2.27 

1.18 

52  0 

a 

Sept. 21 

Bepfe  27 

12.  53  !  67.  5 
12.30  1  69.0 
9.  58      02.  2 

? 

2 
2 

Sept.  28 

do 

12.  15 
11.95 
12.  37 
11.69 

7.23 
7.23 
7.19 
7.01 

59.5 
60.5 
58.1 
59.8 

29.60 

17.78 

60.1 

2.56 

1.50 

60.1 

2 

Oct.  2 

10.00 

9.  56      59.  4 

23.45 

13.75 

58.6 

2 

....do 

3 

Sept.  22 

14.  75 
14.10 
14.00 
13.43 
14.0; 

15.  37 
15.  57 
14.46 
14.46 

14.  79 

8.92 
8.38 
8.62 
7.90 
7.89 
8.72 
9.06 
8.66 
8.37 

"6"i6 

CO.  5 
59.1 
61.6 
58.8 
56.1 
56.7 
58  8 
59.8 
57.8 

62.1 

3 

Oct.  2 

10.60 
10.00 

5.98 
5.  70 

50.4 
57.0 
55.0 

57.8 

25.88 
20.  04 
20.00 
28.28 
24.  85 

15.  01      58.  6 
11.20     55.8 
11.06      55.3 
15.  60     55.  1 
13.  58      54.  7 

2.09 
2.21 
2.70 
3.40 

1.21 
1.38 
1.56 
1.66 

57  9 

3 

Oct.3 

6-'  1 

3 
4 
5 

...do 

Oct.4 

....do 

....do 

Oct.  8 

10.90     5.99 
11.21      6.48 

57.7 
48.8 

5 

12. 30      7.45 
11.  25     6.  58 
10.  60      6.  10 

"9."  92'    5."  96" 


60.5 
58.6 
58.5 

'oo.'i* 

3.56 
2.60 

2.07 
1.29 


58   1 

fi 

26.80      15.24 
22.40      13.09 

57.0 
58.  t 
57.9 
50.4 
54.9 
54.6 

54.  3 
55.0 
55.2 
56.8 
54.5 

55.  5 
52.8 

49  6 

6 

....do 

...do 

...do. 

Oct.10. 

...do 

8 

22.66 
20.  44 
22.  87 

22.  66 
20.  51 
22.  43 

13.  13 

11.52 
12.  35 
12.  36 
11.  13 

i->  :<:< 

J 

3.60 

1.96 

54.4 

8 

8 

it 

....do 

Oct. 11 

14.70 
12.64 

12.  80 
13.40 
14.00 
13.50 
L2.85 

1 3.  06 
12.  i:; 
12.  88 
11.42 
12.67 
12.76 
12.36 

8.10 
7.48 
7.91 
8.50 
8.37 
8.  25 
7.48 
7.91 
7.69 
7.23 
5.78 
fi.  84 
6.  63 
6.54 

55. 1 

59.  1 
61.8 
63.4 

59.  8 
61.  1 
58.  4 

60.  6 
61.9 
57.  0 
50.6 
54.8 
52.0 
52.  it 



11.82 
9.58 

6.61 
5.61 

55.  9 

58.5 

3.82 

1.96 

51.6 

« 

Oct   12 

..do 

Oct.  18 

22.20      12.30 
13.93 

25.  06      13.  65 

22  fi't     19  an 

2.  80 
2.  20 

2.  11 
2.00 
2.  56 
1.97 
1.54 
2. 16 
2,  50 
3.49 
2.  77 
1.96 

1.76 
1.22 

1.14 
1.39 
1.(15 
0.  92 
1.20 

L.58 

61   ') 

10 

11 

9.80 

8.90 

Id.  30 

9.88 

8.80 

11.90 

in.  21 

10.  27 

12.32 

IL98 

11.83 

10.61 

5.  96 

5.23 

6.  15 

5.51 
5.  03 

:>.  65 
;..  06 
(i.  7(i 
6.21 
fi.  02 

5.59 

60.8 

58.7 
59.7 
55.  7 
57.  2 
57.7 
55.  3 
49.  2 
54.4 
51.  0 

55.  0 

11 
12 

.  do. 

Oct.  18 

57.0 
54  3 

V? 

Oct    17 

24.  18 

12.70 

58.  3 

6o.  o 

12 
1? 

Oct.22 

Oct  23 

12 

Oct  24 

12 
12 

Oct  25 

Oct  26. 

Oct. 27 

Oct.  29 

4;>.  2 

12 

1? 

50.  it 
52  7 

52.7 

lT.TT 

24.  80 

"9.58' 

12.  lit 

53.8 
50  3 

41.8 

1" 

Oct.  30 

Averages,  1883 

•  A  \  «•:, !_;•  -    1  --7 

13.99 
14.02 

8.  23 

64.1 

10.87 
11.18 

•;.  L0 

fi.  93 

5ft  4 
62.  0 

23.  55 
32.40 

13.06 

-     - 

2.58     1.37 
:.  16 

53  ■■; 

61.0 

>.  i  Bulletin  18,  p.  20,  United  states  Department  of  Agriculture. 


REPORT  OF  PROF.  W.  C.  STCBBS,  KENXER,  LA. 


LOUISIANA  SUGAR  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

On  April  6,  1888,  two  plats,  Xos.  9  and  10,  at  the  sugar  experiment 
station  were  planted  in  sorghum. 


PREVIOUS   CULTURE. 


Xo.  9  had  been  continuously  in  sorghum  since  1880,  and  No.  10  in 
corn. 

PREPARATION   OF   LAND. 

The  land  was  broken  in  the  spring  with  four  horse  plows,  thrown 
into  beds  5  feet  apart,  and  seed  sown  and  lightly  harrowed  in.  Only 
a  partial  stand  was  secured,  germination  being  prevented  by  a  prevail- 
ing drought.  It  was  thinned,  wherever  thick  enough,  to  three  stalks  to 
the  running  foot.  The  cultivation  consisted  of  off-bearing  with  two-horse 
plow,  a  hoeing,  and  returning  the  dirt  with  two-horse  plow,  and  break- 
ing out  the  middles  with  a  large  one  and  three  quarter  Avery  Advance 
double  mold-board  plow. 

The  excessive  rains  began  in  May  and  lasted  till  the  middle  of  July, 
and  prevented  further  cultivation.  The  varieties  planted  on  these  plats 
were: 


12.  Texas  Honey  Drip,  seed  bougbf  ol 
Gumbrell,  Reynolds  &  Allen,  Kansas 
City,  Mo. 

L3.  Planted  *  ith  seed  from  Department 
of  Agriculture,  but  none  oame  up, 

11.  White  Minnesota  Amber  seed,  grown 
in  Nebraska. 

l.").  l'arly  Amber  Beed,  grown  in  Kansas, 

L6.  Barlj  Amber  seed,  furnished  by  De- 
part men!  of  Agrioaltnre. 

17.  Kansas  Orange  seed  from  Kansas. 

18.  Link's   Hybrid    seed,   grown   at    the 
stal  ion. 

19.  Earlj  Orange  seed,  grown  at  the  .sta- 

tion. 

Several  of  the  above   varieties   were    sent   to   the  State    Experiment 

Station, Baton  Ronge,La.,  and to  North  Lonisiana Experiment  station, 
Calhoun,  La.,  and  experimental  plats  planted  at  each  station. 

16 


1.  Honduras  seed,  grown  a1  the  station. 

2.  Bondnras  seed,  grown  on  the  Teche. 

:;.  Link's  Hyin  ill  seed,  grown  in  Kausas. 

4.  White  Mammoth  Beed,  grown  at  the 

station. 

5.  White  India  seed,  grown  in   Kansas. 

6.  Enyama,  grown  by  J.  I'.  Baldwin,  of 

t  he  Teehe. 

7.  Earlj  Orange,  grown  in  Kansas. 

8.  Kansas  Orange,  grown  in   Kansas. 

a.  New  Orange,  grown  in  Kansas, 
in.  Golden  Rod,  grown  in  Kansas. 
11.  llonc\  Drip,  grown  in  Kansas. 


47 

The  varieties  planted  at  Baton  Rouge  were  Early  Amber,  Early 
Orange,  Link's  Hybrid,  and  Honduras. 

They  were  planted  in  rows  4  feet  wide,  and  seed  lightly  covered. 
The  cultivation  was  the  same  as  that  given  to  corn,  after  thinning  it  to 
a  stand  of  one  stalk  to  every  4  inches. 

The  storm  of  the  19th  of  August  completely  prostrated  the  canes,  and 
on  September  12  the  entire  field  was  green  with  a  luxurant  growth  of 
suckers. 

The  varieties  grown  at  the  North  Louisiana  Experiment  Station, 
Calhoun,  La.,  were: 

1.  Minnesota  Early  Amber  seed,  from  Xe-      4.  New  Orange  seed,  from  Kansas. 

braska.  5.  White  India  seed,  from  sn^ar  experi- 

2.  Early  Amber  seed,  from  Department  of  ment  station. 

Agriculture.  6.  Link's  Hybrid  seed,  from  sugar  experi- 

3.  Early  Orange  seed,  from  Department  ment  station. 

of  Agriculture.  ?.  Golden  Rod  seed,  from  Kansas. 

These  were  planted  on  April  18,  thinned  to  a  stand,  and  cultivated  in 
its  order  with  the  corn  crop.  Here  flat  cultivation  was  exclusively 
practiced  during  the  season,  while  at  the  other  two  stations  high  ridges 
were  required  for  drainage. 

These  plantings  were  made  with  a  view  of  testing,  by  mill  and  labor- 
atory experiments,  the  adaptability  of  sorghum  as  a  sugar  crop  to 
Louisiana.  If  sugar  can  be  made  profitably  from  sorghum  anywhere 
in  the  United  States  it  should  be  done  in  Louisiana.  Chemical  anal- 
yses show  a  larger  percentage  of  sugar  and  a  smaller  quantity  of  glu- 
cose in  sorghum  grown  in  Louisiana  than  any  where  else  in  this  country. 
At  least  the  published  analyses  now  at  hand  verify  this  assertion. 
Again,  could  our  sugar  planters  be  persuaded  that  sorghum  could  be 
made  to  yield  a  profitable  quantity  of  sugar,  say  even  1,000  pounds 
per  acre,  they  would  soon  adopt  it  as  an  adjunct  to  the  cane  crop.  Once 
establish  the  fact  that  sugar  can  be  profitably  made  from  sorghum,  and 
it  will  become  exceedingly  popular  with  all  cane-growers,  for  the  fol- 
lowing reasons: 

(1)  By  planting  different  varieties  and  at  different  times  it  can  be 
made  to  ripen  in  Louisiana  at  any  time  from  Julj  to  November — thus 
giving  employment  six  months  to  an  expensive  machinery,  which  is 
now  engaged  only  sixty  days  in  grinding  the  cane  crop. 

(2)  The  cost  of  >ii<\  required  to  plant  a  crop  of  sorghum  is  very 
small,  quite  insignificant  compared  with  the  large  amount  required  for 
cane. 

(.'{)  The  ease  and  cheapness  with  which  this  crop  Can  be  grown. 

(1)  The  value  of  the  seed  for  forage — a  by-product  without  cost,  save 

the  expense  of  carefully  Ionising. 

Again,  there  are  vast  tracts  of  rich  alluvial  lands  in  the  middle  and 

northern  portions  of  the  State   which   aie   too  fax  north   for  cane  and 

which  will  grow  excellent  croqa of  sorghum.    These  lands  are  now  in 

cotton,    but    COUld    it    be   j(  nionsiiafcd    that    they  could   grow   SOrghum 


48 

profitably,  central  factories  would  spring  up  in  every  direction  and  this 
crop  would  supplant  cotton  in  part,  if  not  entirely. 

With  these  possibilities  in  view  the  Director  has  persistently  planted 
sorghum  for  three  years  upon  the  Sugar  Experiment  Station  and  at- 
tempted every  year  to  make  successfully  sugar  from  it  by  the  milling 
process.  Chemical  analyses  have  shown  that  our  juices  were  rich  in 
sucrose  and  low  in  glucose,  but  our  sugar-house  experiments  have  failed 
to  extract  it  successfully.  We  have  made  the  masse  cuite  full  of  grains, 
but  our  centrifugals  failed  to  purge.  All  this  was  due  to  the  starch 
present  in  the  juice  (extracted  by  pressure  with  the  mill),  which,  during 
the  subsequent  process  of  concentration,  was  converted  into  dextrine, 
and  this  substance,  our  bete  noir,  prevented  the  elimination  of  the  sugar. 
Our  past  experiments  have  demonstrated  the  inapplicability  of  the 
crushing  mill  to  sorghum.  They  have  also  shown  that  high  tempera- 
tore  must  be  avoided.  Therefore  new  methods  of  extracting  the  juice 
and  processes  of  cooking  in  vacuo  must  be  resorted  to  before  we  can 
successfully  extract  sugar  from  sorghum. 

Fort  Scott,  Kans.,  and  Kio  Grande,  N.  J.,  have  both  demonstrated 
that  diffusion  was  applicable  to  the  extraction  of  juice  and  goodly  quan- 
tities of  sugar  had  thus  been  obtained.  After  planting  the  above  crops 
the  State  bureau  of  agriculture,  which  lias  immediate  control  of  the 
stations,  received  a  petition  in  the  form  of  a  series  of  resolutions  from 
the  Ascension  Branch  of  the  Sugar  Planters'  Association,  asking  that 
it  make  an  appropriation  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  diffusion  bat- 
tery for  sorghum  and  to  continue  the  experiments  so  auspiciously  begun 
at  Port  Scott  and  Kio  Grande.  The  planters  were  anxious  to  know  if 
the  flattering  results  obtained  in  Kansas  could  not  be  realized  here. 
The  bureau  having  received  at  one  time  the  deferred  hall' of  the  annual 
Hatch  appropriation,  decided  to  grant  the  request  bo  far  as  the  limited 
means  at  their  disposal  would  permit.  Accordingly  it  passed  a  series 
of  resolutions  appropriating  money  for  the  enterprise  and  authorizing 
the  Director  to  proceed  at  once  to  obtain  the  necessary  machinery. 

As  800D  as  these  resolutions  were  passed  increased  areas  were  planted 
in  sorghum  at  each  station,  using  seed  received  from  Kansas  at  Ken- 
ner,  anil  Early  Amber  and  Orange  at  the  other  two. 

Acting  under  these  resolutions,  bids  were  invited  for  building  first 
a  "diffusion  battery  of  11  cells,  capacity  of  battery  U  to  2  tons  per 
hour;  second,  a  double  effect  of  400  square  feel  of  heating  surface. 

Messrs.  Kd  wards  &  llaubtman,  of  New  Orleans,  making  the  best  prop- 
osition for  the  erection  ol'above  machinery,  were  accorded  the  contract. 
Mr.  J.  P.  Baldwin,  Of  St.  Mary's  Parish,  who  had  formerly  been  an 
attach^  Of  the  Station,  and  who  has  great  mechanical  ingenuity,  was  em- 
ployed in  May  to  superintend  the  erection  Of  the  machinery,  and  alter 

full  and  free  conference  with  him  and  Mr.  E.  \Y.  Deraiug,  late  engineer 
in  charge  of  the  Port  Scott  sugar  works  and  now  supervising  engineer  of 
the  Con wa*  Borings  sugar  works,  Kansas,  the  following  machinery  was 


49 

ordered  :  Cutter  and  coininmiutor  or  pulper,  with  shafting  and  pulleys, 
from  George  J.  Fritz,  Saint  Louis,  Mo. ;  conveyors,  elevators,  and  gear- 
ing from  Link  Belt  Company,  Chicago,  and  Mr.  E.  W.  Deming  kindly 
superintended  the  construction  of  a  fan,  a  duplicate  of  the  one  made 
for  Conway  Springs  sugar  works,  which  he  shipped  us  from  Kansas. 

Considerable  work  had  to  be  done  to  conform  the  old  sugar-house  to 
its  new  machinery.  Indeed  the  task  of  planning  and  transforming  the 
old  conditions  to  the  new  was  one  requiring  patience,  energy,  and  ex- 
cellent mechanical  ingenuity.  That  it  has  been  well  done  is  the  uni- 
versal testimony  of  all  visitors. 

After  the  above  work  had  been  contracted  for,  the  gratifying  intelli- 
gence was  received  from  the  Hon.  Xorman  J.  Colman,  Commissioner 
of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C,  that  he  would  allow  this  station 
$5,000  of  the  $100,000  recently  appropriated  by  Congress  for  experi- 
ments in  making  sugar  from  sorghum.  This  supplement  to  the  appro- 
priation from  tbe  Bureau  of  Agriculture  has  enabled  the  station  to  en- 
large its  equipment  and  extend  its  field  of  investigation. 

From  our  past  experience  with  sorghum  it  was  inferred  tbat  our  crop 
planted  on  the  16th  of  April  would  not  be  ready  for  the  sugar-house 
before  1st  of  September.  Accordingly  we  contracted  with  Messrs.  Ed- 
wards  &  Haubtinan  to  deliver  the  machinery  by  the  15th  of  August, 
thus  giving  us  fifteen  days  (ample  time)  for  its  erection  and  prepara- 
tion for  work.  Messrs.  Edwards  &  Haubtinan  failed  to  deliver  until  the 
23d  instant,  which  failure,  in  connection  with  the  unprecedented  storm 
of  the  19th  instant,  which  prostrated  completely  our  sorghum,  proved 
most  disastrous  to  our  successful  manufacture  of  sugar. 

In  188G,  sorghum  planted  April  5,  was  harvested  September  13.  In 
1887,  sorghum  planted  April  21,  was  worked  up  September  23.  Both 
years  they  were  worked  at  full  maturity,  excepting  the  Early  Amber 
and  Chinese,  which  were  ripe  in  July  of  each  year. 

It  was  fair  therefore  to  calculate  that,  without  any  natural  interven- 
tion, the  sorghum  this  year  would  not  be  ready  for  the  sugar-house  be- 
fore  the  middle  of  September;  and  had  not  the  storm  prevailed  the 
date  of  delivery  of  Messrs.  Edwards  &  Haubtinan  would  have  still  af- 
forded us  ample  time  to  have  completed  erection  before  the  maturity 
of  the  Crop,  lather  alone  would  not  have  proven  disastrous;  both  to- 
gether were  fatal.     [See  chemical  analysis  further  on  for  verification.] 

Of  the  varieties  mentioned  above,  the  Ambers  were  ripe  in  .Inly,  ami 
accordingly  were  worked  up  by  the  mill,  cooked  to  masse  cuite  and  hit 

in  hot  room  for  comparison  with  masse  cnite  from  diffusion  juice. 

LABOBA.TOB1    WORK. 
Daring  the  summer   the  laboratory  has  been  engaged  in  the  stud\  of 

the  chemistry  of  sorghum.    To  this  end  w  eekly  analj  ses  of  nil  \  arieties 
have  been   made  and  daily  study   prosecuted    as   i<>   the   physiological 
changes  occurring  in  the  gro*  th  and  maturity  of  sorghum.    The  follow* 
14056— Bull.  20 1 


50 

ing  are  the  notes  made  by  my  assistant,  Mr.  W.  L.  Hutchinson,  up  to 
September  1,  at  which  time  he  resigned  to  accept  the  professorship  of 
chemistry  in  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  of  Mississippi. 

His  leaving  put  an  end  to  his  interesting  investigations. 

June  21. — Iodine  shows  no  starch  in  Minnesota  White  Amber,  just  headed.  Single 
polarization  gives  no  sucrose. 

The  following  were  found:  Glucose,  3.65  per  cent.  :  solids,  6.66  per  cent.  ;  albumin- 
oids, .17  per  cent. 

The  precipitate  produced  by  snbacetate  of  lead,  after  "being  freed  from  the  bad, 
gave  no  trace  of  oxalic  acid,  but  a  quantity  of  tartaric  acid.  So  great  was  the  latter 
that  every  attempt  at  its  entire  removal  failed,  so  that  no  positive  conclusions  as  to 
the  other  acids  present  were  drawn. 

On  July  10  fully  matured  samples  of  Early  Amber  were  obtained,  the  juice  extracted 
and  subjected  to  analysis.  The  sucrose  was  determined  by  single  and  double  polari- 
zation and  by  Fehling's  solution".     The  following  are  the  results: 

Sucrose:  Total  solids,  16.58;  single  polarization,  12.31 ;  double,  12.28;  Fehling's, 
12.22.  This  juice  was  concentrated  to  sirup,  and  the  latter  gave,  by  single  polariza- 
tion, sucrose,  .">2.41 ;  double  polarization.  53. 

STARCH  IN  SORGHUM. 

With  green  canes  just  heading  no  indications  of  starch  are  given  by 
iodine.  If  there  were  any  blue  it  was  completely  obscured  by  the  in- 
tensely brown  coloration.  This  brown  coloration  indicated  dextrine  and 
other  forms  of  soluble  starch. 

With  well-matured  canes  iodine  gives  an  intensely  blue  color  to- 
wards the  top,  decreasing  in  intensity  towards  the  butt.  Canes  occu- 
pying an  intermediate  condition  between  these  extremes,  or  in  that 
stage  of  growth  when  maturity  begins  to  appear,  as  indicated  by  the 
presence  of  sucrose  in  the  lower  part  of  the  stalk,  Starch  will  be  found 
in  the  butt  but  not  in  the  top. 

The  above  conclusions  of  Mr.  Hutchinson  have  been  fully  confirmed 
by  subsequent  experiments  ;  and  it  is  not  unusual  in  our  laboratory  now 
to  prognosticate  the  amount  of  sucrose  in  a  cane  by  the  presence  of 
Starch,  so  intimately  are  they  associated.  Both  sucrose  and  starch 
seem  to  be  formed  simultaneously — the  former  from  glucose  and  per- 
haps  other  bodies,  and  the  latter  from  dextrine  and  other  soluble 
forms. 

Glucose  occurs  In  largest  quantities  when  the  polariscope  gives  no 
indication  of  sucrose  by  single  polarization,    in  a  sample  of  green  cane, 

in  which  there  was  no  starch  and  by  single  polarization  no  sucrose,  but 

by  double  polarization  1.63  per  cent.,  as  high  as  7  percent,  of  glucose 

was  found.     As  the   cane  from  which   the   above   sample  was   selected, 

matured,  repeated    analyses   made  at    short    intervals  Bhowed   that   the 

glucose  decreased,  until  at  maturity  it  reached  as  low  as 0.8  percent. 

.(.!.];    VS.   DOUBLE   POLARIZATION. 

In  juices  from  matured  Canes  there  LS  B  very  close  agreement  between 

the  sucrose  obtained  by  single  and  double  polarization.    Not  so  with 


51 

the  immature  canes,  and  the  greater  the  immaturity  the  greater  the 
disagreement.  In  all  of  the  laboratory  work  on  samples  taken  from  the 
field  sucrose  was  therefore  determined  by  single  and  double  polariza- 
tion. 

ANALYSES   OF   VARIETIES   OF   SORGHUM. 

These  were  begun  July  11  and  continued  weekly  until  worked  up. 
The  following  table  gives  the  results: 

Analysts  of  the  varieties  of  yorghum  at  different  stages  of  growth,   Sugar  Experiment 

Station,  Keiuier,  La. 


Date  of 
aiial  M.s. 


Jnlv 

AuK. 
Aim. 
Aug. 
An-. 
Sept. 

Srpr. 

July 
July 

An':. 
Aug. 
Aug. 
Aug. 

Sept. 

Sept, 
July 

Au- 
Ahj. 
An-. 
Aug. 
Sept. 
Sept. 
July 
July 
July 
July 
July 
July 
July 
July 

J.«lv 

•July 
.Ink 
-J  .1  In 

Aim. 
Aug. 
An-. 
Sept. 
Sept. 
July 
Jlllj 

Aug 

Sept. 
Sept. 
July 
July 

Aim. 
Aim. 
A.m. 


Variety. 


Early  Orange 

.110 

do 

do 

do 

...   .do 

...  do  

Link's  Hybrid 

do .: 

....  do  

do 

do 

do 

do 

do  ...: 

Kansas  Orange 

do  

do 

do  

do 

d.)  

do 

Early  Amber,  Nebraska  .. 

do 

do 

do 

Early  Amber,  Kansas 

....    do - 

do 

Early  Amber,  Department 
o!  A  jrriculture 

do 

do 

Il"iir\    I  >  r  i  I  > 

do  ....'. 

do 


do 

do 

do 

do 

Honey  Drip. 

do 

do 

do 

tin 


do , 

do      

Golden  \U»\ 


.1,. 
■  i.. 
.do 


- 


9.8 

16.  G 
10 

1 G.  5 
IG.3 
15.7 
IJ.5 
11.5 

iii.  20 
13.20 
10.10 
10.  20 
15.30 
11.40 

11.80 
16.90 

15.  (io 
16.80 
15.  20 
13.70 
11.60 
13.30 
15.  70 
14.80 

17.  L'o 
13.60 

16.73 


li      13.2 


U 
11 
12 
12 
12 
12 
12 
12 


1  7.  r. 

16.3 

12.  lo 

H.  - 
ll.:: 
13  2 


12      12 .8 

11 


11.  1 

ll.ol 

10.1 

11.8 

11.8 

it  0 

11.7 


z  - 


it  ,s  „ 

53        q 


2.  2 
1.'.  4 
12.  3 
12.1 
12.2 
11.7 
10.2 

5.  2 

12.2 

10 
12 
12 
12 

7.9 
4.1 
1 2.  o 
11.6 
11.7 
11.1 
9  7 
8.  1 

8.3 
12.1 

ll.o 
12.  3 

1  2.  0 

12.  1 

7.0 
13.5 

ll.o 


:t.  :i 
7  9 


3.  22 
12.  1 

1  _'.  CO 
12.  21 
12.52 

12.85 

6.22 

1*2.'  io" 
10.00 

12.07 
12.1s 
12.  0U 


5.12 
12.00 
1 1 .  63 
11.67 
11.33 

&.  07 


5  II 


l.io 
.  70 

.7; 
1.  23 
1.03 

I!.  20 
1  64 
1 .  28 

1.27 
.7t 

.  95 

3.40 
1.  13 
1.  15 
2.78 

1  !  - 
1.  13 
2.85 

1.20 

1.  18 
1.74 

2.  75 

1.  l,i 
1.70 

3.71 

i.e. 
1.59 

2.  1  7 
1.21 


52 

Analyses  of  the  varieties  of  sorghum  at  the  different  stages  of  growth,  ete. — Continued. 


Date  of 

analysis. 


S,  pt 

4 

Sept. 

12 

July 

Jl 

July 

20 

Aug. 

i 

Aug. 

13 

Aug. 

L>0 

A  ug. 

27 

Sept 

4 

Sept. 

12 

July 

11 

July 

20 

Aug. 

7 

Aug. 

13 

Aug. 

20 

Aug. 

27 

4 

Sept. 

12 

July 

11 

July 

20 

Aug. 

7 

Aug. 

13 

Aug. 

'J') 

A  ug. 

27 

Sept. 

4 

Sept. 

12 

July 

11 

July 

20 

Aug. 

7 

Aug. 

13 

Aug. 

20 

Au^i. 

27 

Sept. 

L 

Sept. 

1 2 

July 

11 

July 

20 

A  ii;.'. 

7 

A  ug. 

13 

Aug. 

20 

Aug. 

27 

Sept. 

4 

Sept. 

20 

July 

11 

July 

•jo 

Aug. 

7 

Aug. 

13 

Aug. 

20 

•J  7 

Si  pt. 

4 

Sept. 
July 

20 

11 

July 

20 

7 

Aug. 

13 

Aug. 

Aug. 

J  7 

Sept. 

1 

Si  pt 

July 

11 

July 

20 

7 

Au_. 

13 

27 

S.  -pt. 

July 

i 

11 

July 

20 

A  Ug. 

7 

" 

20 

27 

i 

S<  pt 

1 

Variety. 


Golden  Rod.. 

...     do  

Xiw  Orange. 

do  ...... 

....  .!o 

do 

....  do  

do 

do 

.    ..  rlo    .... 
Kansas  Orang 

....  do    ..... 

....  ill) 

....  do  

....  do  

do 

....  do  

....  do  

Early  Orange 

do  ....  . 

....  do  

do 

do 

....  do  

do 

....  do  

Kn\  ana  a 

do 

do 

....  do  

....  do    

....  do  

do 

.   . .  do 

White  India. 

do 

do 

....  do  


....  do    

do 

....  do    

White  Mammoth 
do  


..   .  do    

Link's   H\  In  id. 

do  .. 

..   .  do  

do 

do 

do 

do 

....  do  

Honduras  

...  do  

do 


do   ... 

do  ... 

do... 

do  ... 

do  ... 

do  ... 

do... 

do  ... 


K 

a 

- 

- 

i. 

— 

z 

Sucrose. 


-         §.H 


10.2 
9.5 
13.  3 

ig.  :i 

13.80 
12.  50 
12.  20' 

12.  JO 
10.20 

9.  10 
10.  CO 

13.11 

13.  «J0 
14.8 

12.7 

13.  1 

10.1 


11.7 

11.71 
11.0 


9  71 
14.80 

13.20 
14.70 
14.10 

in.!) 
l  I  S3 
it  CO 
13.50 
10.30 
l  ;.  (J 
13 
14.1 

6  5 

7.91 
1  1.20 
10.5 
1  n.  2 
12.2 

8  l 
10.5 

9.  8 

9.  l 
1 ».  9 
14.3 

13.7 

1  J.  2 

in  r, 
7.0 
7.81 
9.  70 
7.  Hi 
7.70 


a 
•/. 

5.6 
4,9 

0.9 
11.0 
10.3 

■    - 

8 

G.  2 
7.1 

8 

10.  G 

8.  1 

6.5 
5.  3 
6  0 

ll.o 
9.0 

9.  5 

7.1 
4  II 
2.3 

9.0 

10  6 
10.5 

5.  2 

6.  5 

5.  I 
ll.o 
10.2 

'.i  5 


5.  G2 


10*36 
8.92 

8.  16 
6.20 


6.07 


8.S 
10.  74 

8.00 
6.71 

7.51 


7.  10 
11.18 
9.31 
9.49 

7.21 


10.50 
5.  05 


11.0 
9.9 

7.01 


.  1 

■J.  1 '.' 

2.  ii 

9.  7 1 

G  0 

0.  10 

6.  1 

0.54 

7.7 

7.84 

l    - 

4.0 

9.0 

in.  1 

10.21 

10.5 

10.50 

9.  1 

9. 10 

0.7 

2.0 

l 

3.05 

7    1 

7.  12 

1  0 

1.  31 

1  1 

5.8 

1  0 

' 

0.  0 

1.47 
4.25 

1.71 
2.  94 

2.68 

2   :■! 

2.21 
L88 

1.36 
1.37 

1.71 
2.  15 
1.60 
2.  43 
2.  21 
1.77 
1.90 
1.71 
1.72 
1.92 
1  95 

2.  12 
2.31 

1.  14 
1.43 
1.08 

1.47 

1  82 
1.70 
1.14 
1.59 

.72 
1.27 
1.25 

3.  29 

1.43 

L.87 
.87 

■:.  i  o 

2.  1 1 
1.59 

2  i 

.74 
1.14 

.78 

1.  18 

1     !l 

3.  00 

2.  14 

i  94 

2.  1 1 

3.  99 

1 .  S3 

i  M 

1.7!) 

1  . 1 

2.  27 


53 


Analyses  of  varieties  of  sorghum  grown  at  Baton  Rouge,  La, 


Date  of 

analysis. 

«**■          2& 

Sucrose, 
single 

polariza- 
tion. 

Glucose. 

Aug.      G 
Aug.      9 
Aug.    14 
Aug.    28 
Sept.    11 
Aug.      6 
Aug.    14 
Aug.    28 
Sept.    11 
Aug.      0 
Aug.      9 
Aug.     1 4 
Aug.      0 
Aug.     9 
Aug.    14 

12.00 

9.50 

13.40 

12. 10 

7.  30 

11.20 

10.  00 

12.  40 

7.8 

9.4 

11.5 

10.5 

6.3 

8.4 

4.1 

do 15.9 

do ,      18.1 

do 17.0 

do - 14.7 

3.80 

1.12 
1.09 
1>2 

do 

15.9 
17.0 
11.9 

2.38 
2.07 
4.  52 

do                       

do 

do  .". 

16.1 

16.4 

1.87 
3.00 

do 

do 

do 

15. 8 
11.6 

4.70 
5.47 

Analyses  of  varieties  grown  at  Xorih  Louisiana  Experiment  Station,  Calhoun,  La. 


Date  of 
analysis. 


Oct. 
Oct 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct- 
Oct. 


Variety. 


Early  Amber.. 
Early  Orange.. 
NVv.  Orange... 
Link's  Hybrid 

White  India... 
Golden  Kod  ... 


Sucrose, 

single 
polariza- 
tion. 


11.4 
11.8 
10.5 
12.3 


10.6 


Glucose. 


1.27 
2.56 
2.  20 
1.56 
.87 
1.36 


An  inspection  of  above  tables  will  show  that  Early  Amber  reached 
its  maximum  in  July,  say  one  hundred  days  after  planting.  Golden 
Kod  and  Honduras  never  reached  maturity,  the  storm  of  the  18th  pros- 
trating them  before  the  maximum  of  sugar  was  reached.  The  other 
varieties  attained  their  maximum  during  August. 

Could  these  experiments  have  been  worked  daring  August,  it  is  be- 
lieved that  most  excellent  results  would  have  been  attained.  Up  to 
September  1.  just  as  suckers  began  to  appear  at  eaeli  joint  on  the  pros- 
trate cane,  the  latter  had  lost  but  little  in  snero.se  since  the  storm  of  the 
19th.  Alter  the  suckers  began  to  grow  the  loss  was  rapid  and  heavy, 
as  is  shown  by  the  mill  juices  of  September  8  to  20. 

The  canes  at  Oalhoun  were  not  injured,  the  storm  not  extending  as 
far  north  as  this  station.    They  have  therefore  preserved  their  sugar  up 

to  Octobei   1  and  suffered  little  or  no  loss. 

EXPERIMENTS   IN    DIFFUSION. 

All  the  machinery  being  in  position  ami  read}  tor  use,  a  trial  run  was 
made  on  Septembers,  using  the  Early  Orange  variety.    The  cut  era  did 

their  work  well  ;  so  did  the  ditVusion  cells,  except  now  and  then  a  leak 
which  was  easily  close. 1.  The  larger  heater,  which  heated  the  juice  be 
fort  entering  the  cells,  was  out  of  order  and  could  not  be  used  either  in 
this  or  the  ne\t  trial.  The  fan  which  had  been  furnished  as  adapted  to 
the  cleaningof  SOrghnui  chips  failed  utterly  to  do  its  work.     The  shaker 


54 


which  was  geared  to  the  fan  ran  too  rapidly,  and  had  to  be  run  by  an 
independent  pulley  at  a  slower  motion.  The  depth  of  the  shaker  was 
far  too  narrow,  so  much  so  that  the  chips  of  cane  thrown  violently  for- 
ward by  the  force  of  the  cut  were  often  propelled  beyond  the  shaker 
and  fell  into  the  trash.  In  this  way  a  large  amount  of  the  cane  in  this 
experiment  was  lost.  The  shaker  was  lengthened  and  many  other  im- 
provements made  until  good  work  was  accomplished.  On  account  of 
these  defects  only  1,152  pounds  of  sorghum,  with  tops  and  blades,  were 
used  and  only  two  cells  of  the  battery  were  filled.  The  following  are 
the  laboratory  analyses : 


Total 

solids. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

Eatio  of 
sucrose  to 
glue 

Mill  juice 

Diffusion  juice : 

First  cell 

14.  C 

10.  -J 
l.l 

•7 

1.05 

.  [021 

.06:58 

10.25 

9.11 
9.11 

No  sugar  or  sirup  made. 

Pending  the  making  of  the  necessary  improvements  to  the  fan  and 
shaker  the  cubical  contents  of  the  cells  were  carefully  calculated  in  the 
following  manner:  The  cells  were  tilled  with  water  and  then  the  water 
carefully  emptied  into  a  sugar  wagon  and  weighed,  allowing  62 J  pounds 
of  water  to  a  cubic  foot.  Each  cell  contained  13.52  cubic  feet.  A  cell 
packed  with  sorghum  chips  and  one  put  in  without  packing  were  also 
emptied  and  weighed.  Their  weights  were,  respectively, 353  pounds  and 
L'7o'  pounds,  making  26  pounds  and  20  pounds  per  cubic  foot. 

Without  entering  into  the  full  details  of  daily  work,  the  following, 
taken  from  our  large  amount  of  records,  will  suffice  to  illustrate  fully 
the  work  performed. 

Considering  the  very  low  character  of  the  sorghum  worked,  the  results 
obtained  are  quite  promising. 

Monday,  September  10,  1 — I.— Another  trial  of  the  machinery  was  made  to-day  to  de«i 
cide  whether  the  improvements  bo  hastily  made  were  effective,  Honduras  sorghun 
was  need;  weight,  with  tops  and  blades,  2,158  pounds.  Everything  worked  fairly 
w<-ll.  It  was  found  thai  both  the  cutter  ami  comminutor  were  projecting  the  ohipt 
in  everj  direction,  thus  causing  greal  waste.     A  Btop  was  made  and  these  boxed  in. 

Ponr  cells  were,  however,  tilled,  and  the  juices  from  these  concentrated  in  the  double 

uid  left  in  the  latter  all  night.    The  next   morning,  to  our  surprise,  we  found 
thai  one  of  t  he  tubes  of  the  double  effeel  had  leaked  during  the  uighl  ami  had  diluted 

the   Simp   almost    to   the    original   juice.      Accordingly  it   was  withdrawn   and  thrown 

away,  ami  tin-  Leaking  tube  plugged  up.    The  laboratory  results  are  given : 


Sucrose. 

(illK  

Ratio  ra 
gluoose. 

i.  a 

•J.  :t 

1.4 

.:ih 
.78 
.55 

6&  :t 

llillu    ion    | 

Kiral  ■  ell 

u.l  oell   

Third  cell 

Fourth  cell" 

Wednesday,  Sejiiember  12.— Having  repaired  the  defects,  work  was  begun  at  9.30 
o'clock  and  continued  until  nineteen  cells  had  been  filled.  Everything  worked  admi- 
rably except  the  heaters,  which  were  not  under  control,  and  hence  varying  tempera- 
tures used  in  diffusing.  Weather  very  warm  and  much  suffering  experienced  by 
everybody  at  work,  particularly  by  the  men  at  the  diffusers  and  clarifier. 

The  following  canes,  with  quantities,  were  used  : 


Pounds. 

1,292 

900 
1,214 

470 

828 
1,096 
1,072 

829 
1,370 

9,071 
G.4S9 

Texas  Honey  Drip,  with  topa  and  blades 

Early  Orange 

Total 

L(    98      tOpS,      1.403      IXHIIllls    I          rtry     le                    „      + 

trash,  M79  pound*  \  =2a  46  *»T  cent- 

The  chips  packed  in  very  tightly  failed  to  discharge'  easily.  Drew  the  first  juice  off 
at  cell  No.  7,  and  continued  to  draw  until  twenty- five'  discharges  had  been  made,  viz, 
Nos.  7,  8,  9,  10,  11,  12,  13,  14,  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  8,  9,  10,  11,  12,  13,  11,  1,  2,  3,  4,  5. 

The  juice  from  Xo.  7  passed  over  seven  fresh  chips. 

The  juice  from  Xo.  8  passed  seven  2d  chips  and  one  fresh  chips. 

The  juice  from  No.  9  passed  over  seven  3d  chips,  one  2d  chips,  and  one  fresh 
chips. 

The  juice  from  No.  10  passed  over  seven  4th  chips,  one  3d  chips,  one  >Jd  chips,  and 
on<!  fre>h  chips,  etc.,  until  the  14th  cell  was  reached.  While  Xo.  14  was  bring  filled 
Xo.  1  was  emptied.  Then  began  regular  diffusion.  The20th  cell  was  partially  filled 
but  not  used,  and  Xo.  21  was  at  the  same  time  emptied.  Hence  the  absence  of  Nos.  G 
and  7  in  the  discharges  above. 

The  following  analyses  were  made  : 


1.  Mill  juices  <>f  each  variety  db<  d. 

2.  Diffusion  juices  from  each  ci  11. 

:i.  Chips  as  they  were  emptied  from  each  cell. 

4.  Clarified  juice  from  each  clarifier. 

5.  Sirup. 

(j.  Residuum  scums. 

7.  Rugar. 

8.  Molasses. 


The  following  are  the  results: 


Mill  j 


sty. 

Link1!  H\ brid 

li   i 

II v  1m  ip 

Golden   Rod 

*  (range 

!».  1 

Early  Orai                      

I 


7.7 

7    1 

5G 


Diffusion  chips. 


l 

■_'... 

z  [\\\] .'"".[ ......  \  . 

4  

5 

6  with  twelve  washings 

7  with  eleven  washings 

8  with  ti  ii  washings  . . . 

9  with  nine  washings.. 


1.4  10  with  eight  washings. 

.6  11  witli  seven  washings. 

.  f>  12  with  six  washing*    .. 

.6  13  with  five  washings... 

.  2  14  with  four  washings  . . 

.  5")  lf>  with  three  washings  . 

.75  16  with  two  washing*.  . 

.85  17with  one  washing 

1.10 


Sample  lost. 


Diffusion  juices. 


.7 
.5 
.6 

1.2 
.7 

1.5 


(*> 


Total 
solids. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

Glueoso 
ratio. 

6.4 
5.5 

4.1 

4.1 

5.9 
5.1 
5.6 
4.7 

4.2 
3.8 

3.0 

3.1 

3.8 
3.7 
3.9 
3.3 

1.11 
1.12 

.53 

1.19 

1.56 
1.40 
1.39 
1.56 

26.45 
26.45 

17.67 

38.39 

♦1.05 

37.  84 
35.  64 
47.27 

Second  discharge 

Fifth  discharge ? 

Sixth  discharge 5 

Eighth  discharge. . 

Tenth  and  subsequent  discharges 

Clarified  juices. 


1 

4.5 
4.9 
2.8 
2.2 

3  4 
8.8 

2.2 
1.7 

1.06 
1.26 

31.18 
38.18 

2 

3 

4  .. 

.65 

38.23 

Siru j>  : 

Total  solids 

32.20 

L7.50 

7.  35 

42.00 

Scums  : 

4.10 
1.90 
.88 

43.68 

Su_ 

Sucrose  

91.2 

B0  4 

<  llucose 

14.28 



It  was  utterly  impossible,  from  the  varying  amounts  of  sucrose  in  the  canes  used,  t<> 
pi  anything  like  uniform  results  either  on  1 1 » « *  juices  or  chips.  There  were  drawn 
four  olarifiers,  of  about  500  gallons  each.  The  last  tun  wen-  very  dilute,  owing  to  the 
i  of  water  used  in  washing  the  chips  after  cells  were  filled.  This  juice  was 
ueated  with  lime  and  bronghl  to  neutrality;  heated, and  blanket,  which  wasqnite 
insignificant,  removed.  It  was  then  settled  and  clear  juice  run  into  the  double  effect 
ami  concentrated. 

There  was  a  large  quantity  of  settlings  and  some  scums,  which  were  weighed  and 
analyzed  and  thrown  awaj  t»>  avoid  interfering  with  the  well»olarined  simp.  Tho 
following  are  \\  eights  obtained  : 


Sirup   

(Settlings  and  soums 


Is. 

1,663 

l.iiTo 


Molassi  a 


Pounds. 

49 

752 


The  following  are  the  notes  of  diffusion  : 

Every  effort  was  made,  to  hold  the  temperature  at  200°  Fahrenheit,  but  until 
the  battery  had  been  used  in  one  entire  round  this  is  almost  impossible  to  do,  since 
sending  in  quickly  water  heated  to  200°  Fahrenheit  into  cold  iron  cells  rilled  with 
cold  chips  the  loss  of  heat  by  radiation  and  convection  is  very  great.  Six  min- 
utes were  allowed  for  the  diffusion  of  each  cell  after  the  hot  water  was  turned  on. 
Every  effort  to  grain  in  the  vacuum  pan  proved  abortive,  as  the  following  not<  a  <>t 
Mr.  Baldwin,  who  had  charge  of  the  pan  and  was  assisted  by  Mr.  Barthelemy,  will 
show  : 

''Part  of  juice  concentrated  in  double  effect  on  first  watch,  remainder  on  sec- 
ond watch,  when  the  juice  got  very  hot,  180°,  and  was  emptied  in  ears  to  cool ; 
finished  concentrating  on  morning  of  i:ith  at  a  temperature  of  loo-  to  100°  Fahr- 
enheit. Juice  dark  colored  and  some  feculent  matter  present.  After  mixing  sir- 
ups started  vacuum  strike  pan  at  2  p.  m.  on  13th;  temperature,  138°  to  140° 
Fahrenheit  ;  very  thick  ;  nothing  but  candy  would  form  in  the  pan.  Allowed  to 
stand  half  an  hour  until  candy  dissolved,  but  no  grain.  Stood  again  one  hour ;  at 
7  p.  m.  still  no  grain.  Cooked  very  thick  and  remained  in  pan  until  2  p.  in.  next 
day,  when  it  was  all  boiled  to  string  sugar  and  put  in  the  hot  room.  Injured  some 
by  being  cooked  to  candy. 

"  In  the  hot  room  it  began  at  once  to  grain,  until  the  wagon  was  quite  solid  with 
small  grains  of  sugar. 

It  was  centriftigaled  and  gave  the  following  results: 


Stipar 

Molasses. 


Pounds. 


M'lTCLATlOX. 


rounds. 

Bnpar  obtained  per  ton  sorghum LC5 

Molasses  obtained  per  ton  hor^buui -  '■  i 

After  the  analyses  of  the  mill  juices  were  known,  little  or  no  hope  w  as  entertained 
of  BUCCes&fu]  BUgai  i'  Butts,  hide.  (1,  it  is  wonderful  with  such  jnic<  S  and  after  Mich 
treatment  that  any  sugar  should  lie  obtained. 

September  17.  — It  has  often  been  published  that  neither  sorghum  nor  its  juices  will 
stand  transportation  or  delay  in  working  them  up,  after  being  cut.  That  such  is  not 
the  case  with  us  is  abundantly  proved  by  the  following  and  many  other  experiments 
during  this  season  :  On  September  16  Mi.  I;. mow.  assistant  at  the  state  experiment 
station,  was  sen!  to  Baton  Rouge  to  harvest  and  ship  a  car-load  of  sorghum  from  that 

station  to   this.       By  9  a.  in.  on    the    morning   of  the    loih    he    hail   cut    and    loaded   a 

closed  car  with  Bai  ly  Orange  sorghum.  This  sorghum  was  quite  wel  from  dew  and  had 
its  leaves  and  tops  atill  on  conditions  making  fermentation  quite  feasible  to  almost 
any  crop.  It  was  delivered  at  Kenner  bj  Mississippi  Valley  Railroad  at  :  p.  m.  of 
same  day.  It  was  unloaded  ami  delivered  at  sugar*  house  at  12  m.  of  the  17th,  and 
worked  up  as  delivered.   The  cane  had  been  badlj  blown  down  by  the  storm  of  the 

19th,  and  was  filled  with  BUCkeiS   Several    led   long,  now  in    full  heads.      Il    was  quite 

low  in  sugar,  as  the  following  analysis  of  selected  stalks,  made  on  September  il- 
showed : 


Total  sollda 11  e 

■ooroae 

Glucose 


58 

Began  diffusion  at  1)  a.  in.  Filled  twenty-three  cells  with  chips  and  drew  off  thirty- 
one  cells  of  juice.  Finished  in  early  evening,  after  two  Blight  detentions.  Cells  dif- 
fused sixteen  minutes  each,  except  three  times,  when  interrupted.  The  temperature 
varied  from  150c  to  200°  F.  The  juice  was  boiled  to  a  sirup  in  double  effect  and  made 
into  string  sugar  in  the  vacuum  pan.  Boiled  all  night,  finishing  the  next  day.  The 
string  sugar  was  run  into  the  hot-room,  where  it  was  grained  into  almost  a  solid  mass. 
The  following  are  the  amounts  used  : 

Weight  of  canes. 13,266 

Less  weight  of  tops 2,445 

•  ight  of  Leaves 1, 785 

Less  weight  of  trash  iu  yard 

Less  weight  of  chips  not   used 

5,867 

Chan  cane  ased  7,399 

The  juices  from  this  were  concentrated  into  a  sirap,  giving  1,491  pounds:  scums 
thrown  away,  313  pounds ;  juice  made  into  molasses,  259  pounds. 

The  following  are  the  laboratory  results: 

Pounds. 

Sugar  obtained ll"> 

Molasses  obtained 872 

Sugar  per  ton  of  sorghum 81.4 

Molasses  per  ton  of  sorghum 181.8 


RECAPITULATION. 

Cane  contained  (calculated)  pounds  Bucrose..  415 

Sit  up  made  into  sugar  contained do 328 

Sirup  made  into  molasses  contained. do r>7 

Scums  contained do 7 

('hips  contained do :<2 

Fiber  in  cane per  cent. .     15.  5 


Early  orange  sorghum. 


Total 

solids. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

('■Iu.  081 

tosui 

Mill  juices 5 

1 
i 

11.4 
11.8 
11.7 

7.0 
7.0 

t;.  9 
::.  2 
:i.  95 
8.  co 
3  80 

1.  10 
:t.  50 

:;.  to 
■t.  in 

I.  20 

::  80 

. :; 
.:t 
.  25 

.  r. 

.  15 
::.  8 
8.9 
::  I 
1.8 

i.a 

1. 1 

22 

92.  1 

::.  33 

- 

l  79 
2.  oo 
1  92 
2.  17 
2.  32 
2,  00 
1   72 

1  u; 
1.73 

1.0 

1 .  88 
L62 
I.  70 
1.60 
.  it 
.  18 
.  10 
.  1 19 
.  U 
.18 

.  10 

.  89 

11.  1 

2  22 

i  M 

I',  r  r,  ,it. 

18 
51 
18 
.  B6 

.51 
.84 

.  59 

- 
.49 

.  12 

.  Hi 

.47 
.00 

1 1 

.  I  : 
.80 

.40 
"1 
II 

68 



1 

1 

Diffusion  chips ...< 

! 

f 

Simp   

:::::::: 

Scums 



Ho             

59 


Here,  as  before,  the  dilution  was  great,  owing  to  the  water  used  in  washing  the  chips 
after  cells  were  filled.  This  cane  Lad  nearly  a  constant  composition,  and  from  glucose 
ratio  there  has  been  little  or  no  inversion  either  in  cells  or  in  concentration  of  sirup. 
In  fact,  when  water  at  200°  F.  is  sent  into  cells  and  maintained  there  for  six  minutes 
at  this  temperature  little  or  no  iuversion  took  place,  notwithstanding  the  weather 
gauge  showed  this  day  a  maximum  temperature  of  83°  P. 

Septemher  20. — The  following  canes  were  selected  for  this  run  :  Link's  hybrid, 
White  India,  White  mammoth,  and  the  second  planting  of  Early  Amber.  The  suck- 
ers, of  which  there  were  many,  were  removed  by  hand.    Filled  nine  cells.    Everything 

worked  well. 

rounds. 

"Weight  of  cane  used 5,  078 

Less  weight  of  tops  812 

Less  weight  of  trash G53 

Less  weight  of  suckers '208 

Less  weight  of  chips  not  used 74 

1,747 


Clean  cane  used 3,  331 

Juice  neutralized  with  lime,  blanket  removed,  settled,  concentrated  in  doable-effect 
and  (/rained  in  vacuum  pan;  then  emptied  into  car  and  run  into  hot-room,  where  it 
solidified  into  crystals  of  sugar  of  small  size. 


PoumU. 
Weight  of  sirup 695 


Weight  of  scums,  etc. 
Weight  of  sugar. 


150 

40 


Pounds. 

"Weight  of  molasses 

Sugar,  per  ton 24 

Molasses,  per  ton 141 


The  following  are  laboratory  results 


Mill 

juices 

Diffusion  juices. 

Diffusion 

chips. 

i 

c 

o 

Variety. 

g 

-" 

■-L 

■ 

0 

-_ 

T. 

So 

7 

- 

V 

I 

- 

~ 

z 

~ 

O  r 

-. 

C 

z  r 

z 

u 

2 

■~ 

- 

■~  z 

- 

■~ 

- 

-  7 

_ 

O 

- 

- 

H 

■/. 

~ 

l'r  ct. 

- 

/. 

~ 

~ 

v. 

- 

l'r.  ct 

Link's  hybrid 

10.  C 

6.7 

1.13 

.37 

.10 

White  India 

14.  1 
10.  5 

10.0 

6.  !• 

1.25 

2.  It 

12* 

0.  0 

<;.  o 

3.  5o 
3.  70 

1.51 

1.51 

.4:; 

.41 

.  20 

.  11 

.  13 

White  ru  am  moth 

White  amber  (Nebraska)  .. 

10.7 

1  92 

29 

:;.  20 

1.57 

.4'.) 

.10 

.12 

White  amber 

11)    4 

5.  t 

:;.  12 

57 

5.  (J 

3.  25 

1.61 

.10 

.  12 

Clarified  juice  : 

Total  solids |*"J 

Suck.-,,. j  J- J 

Glucose }  !;jj{ 

Glucose  to  sucrose.. per  cent 

Sirups: 

i]  solids  32.  94 

Bocrose 17.5 

Glucose   7  hi 


Sirups— Continued : 

Glucose  to  sucrose,  percent 40 

Senilis: 

Sucrose 1.7 

Glucose 7:! 

Glucose  to  sucrose    percent 41 

Sugsr: 

Sucrose 

Glucose  .   . .  

Molass 

j( 34 

Glucose "jo 


[TULATION 
...  121.62 


,n  sirup 

•    in  senilis 2.51 

Sin  rose  in  chips 16. 51 

The  following  determinations  of  albuminoids  were  aiad< 


Sucrose  In  sugar  made   M.  8s 

Su«  i"-'  :n  molassi  b  made  

Fiber  in  cane,  percont 15. ot 


Mill  jn  i 

Link's  hybrid .4  0 

Kansas  orange  

New  orange 

Early  orange 

Early  orange,  Baton  Rouge. ^S7i 

'  Do  MS 

Mill  .line.  |   


Diffusion  i  :  • 

I     12      

Sept.  17,  Ba  cam 

( '1  ii  i  I i i • >  1    jllii 

I 

s.  pt    12,  set  ond 

it.  Baton  Konge  <  am 

•s  pt  20 


It  will  ilnis  be  -cfii  that  diffusion  j 1 1 i <•« -^  <•  totain  muofa  less 
juices. 


ilhu: 


•  ills  than   mill 


GO 


LATE  PLANTING   OF   SORGUXM. 

After  deciding  to  erect  a  diffusion  battery  to  work  up  sorghum,  a 
late  planting  was  made  upon  land  from  which  a  crop  of  oats  had  been 
harvested.  The  oats  were  harvested  May  15,  and  the  land  broken  with 
four  horse  plow  and  harrow.  Sorghum  planted  May  23.  The  continued 
rains  during  June  and  July  prevented  necessary  cultivation.  The  storm 
of  August  10  prostrated  it,  and,  though  far  from  being  ripe,  never  re- 
covered. Most  of  these  seed  were  received  from  Mr.  William  P.  Clem- 
ents, of  Sterling  Sugar  Works  in  Kansas,  and  were  mainly  hybrids  of 
different  varieties.  They  were  carefully  followed  during  maturity  with 
analyses,  but  at  no  time  did  any  of  them  show  a  large  sugar  content. 

The  following  table  will  show  analytical  results: 

Analyses  of  sorghum  planted  May  23. 


No. 

Variety. 

Analyzed  October  8. 

Analyzed  September  15. 

Iliix. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

Brix. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

1 
2 
3 
4 

5 

6 
7 
8 

9 

10 

11 
12 
13 
14 
IS 

ir, 

17 
18 
19 
20 
•-'1 
22 
23 
24 
25 

27 

2H 

29 

3d 
31 
32 
33 

30 
37 
88 
39 

Honduras,  grown  in  Louisiana 

White  Amber, grown  in  Nebraska 
Early  Amber, grown  in  Kansas.... 
Early  Amber,  from  Department  of 

C.2 

1.1 

2.  52 

7.4 
12.0 

9.3 

7.6 
9.3 
12.3 
It.  3 

8.4 

.1 

7.7 
8.4 

0.7 
3.7 

4.:; 
7.0 

1.2 

4.13 
2.09 

2.28 

2.36 
•J  12 
3.45 
1.40 

2.40 

Golden  Rod,  from  Sterling,  Kans.. 
New  Orange,  from  Sterling,  Kans.. 
White  India,  from  Sterling,  Kans 
Early  Orange,  from  Department  of 

9.2 
11.0 
10.8 

10.3 

9.5 

7.0 
8.8 
11. 3 
12.0 
«J.  1 
8.0 
8.4 
4.3 

8.  fi 

12  2 

!».  1 

9.  8 

10.4 

8.9 
8.  1 
10. 9 

a  2 

10  0 
in  9 
10.6 

:-.  7 

4  7 
5.3 

5.5 

3.4 

2.3 
3.2 
8.3 
4.  1 
1.0 

2.  8 
3.0 

.3 
3.1 
7.0 
3.9 
4.7 

r>.  2 

1.9 
3.4 

4.  1 

3.  8 
2  6 
4.7 
2.  5 

5.  3 
5.  5 
5.  2 

.... '":»." i 

2.73 
3.  57 

2.  34 

2.28 

2.32 

2.13 
1.93 
•_'.  IS 

3.  12 
2.84 
2.  80 

1.44 
2.  79 
1.44 
2.  79 

2.  60 

8.  17 
2  17 
2.  75 
2.64 

1.74 

1 .  67 

2.  .-.'.i 

3.  7.-. 

Chinese  Sngar  Cane,  from  Depart- 

Early  Orange, from  Department  <>!' 

7.4 

9.0 

7  2 

11.1- 

10.8 

<.».  9 

7.  1 

6  0 

9. '.: 

*.  1 
7.2 

0.  0 

9.  o 

8  9 
0.  9 
8.9 

o  i 
12.  l 

10.9 

;»  i 
9,7 

8.3 
7.9 
C.3 

•J  '.• 
4.1 
5.9 
1.2 
6.2 

4.1 
1.1 
2.  2 
6.1 

0  4 
8.8 

2.  9 

2.  o 

1  5 

:;.  l 
l.  i 

1.0 
3.0 

i  2 

4  5 

:;  o 

4.0 
1.0 
::  o 
1.7 
1.9 
.9 

3.  12 

2.  :;o 

3.  03 
2.  40 
L'.  20 
2.  70 
2.  59 
1 .  00 

1 .  70 
1.00 

2.  74 

2.  42 
2.00 

1  70 
2.20 

3.  ;>7 

.'.'1 
1.48 
2.64 

2  27 
3.  07 

•J  '.» 1 

:i.  IS 

3.  83 

4.  07 
i  :  l 
3.  03 

Do 

Do 

I).. 

I),,  ..  .                

1),, 

Do 

]»,, 

Do  .. 

It,, 

I),, 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do     

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Earl\  Goone  Neck,  Sterling,  Ka.ua 

ll'iiiiiui  m,  from  a  rizona  ,  - . 

Plei  ■                           'in  Stei  liiiL',  Kins 

Daohebfl  Hybi  id,  Stei  ling,  Kans. . . 
N'.-w  Sugfli  <  lane,  Stei  ling,  Kans  - 

Lib  nan,  Smith  A  i  i/.ona 

Liberiau,  M  Ihsoui  i 

Liberian,  Texas    

The  following  are  the  descriptions  of  the  hybrid  varieties  gathered 
October8: 

N...  ii.  Panicle,  black  exterior,  dnll  red  iuterior;  two  distinct  beads,  the  <>ii<'  full, 
with  black  seed  red  tipped,  the  other  few  Beeded, slightly  closed  heads,  probably  a 
cross  between  White  Mammoth  or  India  with  a  black  seeded  variety, 


61 

No.  12.  Large  heads,  black  and  yellowish-white,  fine  stalks,  green  plumes  with 
pinkish-white  seeds.  A  cross,  probably,  between  White  India  and  an  unknown 
variety. 

No.  13.  Heads  large,  one  sleek  black,  the  other  white  red.  Probably  New  Orange 
and  a  black-seeded  variety  ;  stalks  medium. 

No.  14.  Only  one  kind;  black,  with  red  openings,  full  seeded. 

No.  15.  One  black,  with  reddish  seeds;  the  other  black,  with  dull  white  seed;  Hon- 
duras and  unknown  variety. 

No.  10.  One  black,  with  slightly  reddish  seed  ;  the  other,  large  whiteheads;  both 
full  seeds;  stalks  small. 

No.  17.  Black,  with  red  seed  in  one,  full  headed;  the  other  white  seeded,  few  and 
loose. 

No.  19.  Three  varieties,  black,  white,  and  variegated;  heads  few  seeded;  stalks 
small. 

No.  20.  Black,  with  bright-red  seed,  few;  stalks  small. 

No.  21.  Black,  with  yellow  opening;  two  varieties,  one  black  glumes  with  pinkish 
seeds,  full  headed  ;  other  ashy  glumes,  closed  heads,  with  few  seed. 

No. 22.  Black,  with  white  seed,  bent  neck;  the  other  dark,  with  pinkish  seed. 

No.  23.  Red,  with  yellow  openings,  one  dark,  with  pinkish  seed;  the  other  dark, 
with  white  seeds,  pinkish  blush. 

No. 24.  Dark,  with  pale-yellow  openings.  One  full  headed,  black  glumes  with  pink- 
ish >ceds  ;  the  other  dark  glumes,  closed  seed  in  an  indifferent  head. 

No.  25.  Dark;  large  white  opening.  One,  black  glumes  with  white  seed:  the 
other,  black  glume  with  pinkish  seed. 

N08.26,  27,  2H,  and  29  are  crosses  of  Honduras  on  white  varieties,  with  large  pre- 
ponderance of  Honduras. 

Xo.  :$0.  Black,  with  red  openings.  One  black,  with  red  seed  :  the  other  black,  with 
white  set  (1. 

October  9  a  part  of  the  above  was  cut  and  diffused,  but  results  in 
sugar  were  nil;  8,482  pounds  of  sorghum  were  successfully  diffused,  leav- 
ing on  an  average  less  titan  .15  per  cent,  sucrose  in  chips,  but  the  juice 
was  very  dilute  and  contained  a  greater  quantity  of  glucose  than  su- 
crose. After  concentration  to  masse  cnite  it  was  left  in  the  hot  room 
for  several  weeks,  with  no  indication  of  grain. 

On  November  15  the  late  planting  of  Honduras,  Chinese,  and  Gold  CD 
Rod  were  gathered  and  diffused.  The  yields  per  acre  were  as  high  for 
the  first  two  as  20  tons  per  acre;   but  the  sugar  content  was  very  low. 

The  following  are  the  analyses  : 


Brix. 

S 

.  Ml 

2.  1" 
I  60 

Glucose. 

Mill  juices : 

a  i 

8.  1 

1.  17 

2.  59 

<  'liincsc    

Gold(  ii  Rod        

Here  the  process  of  elarif\  ing  in  the  cell  b\   the  ii.m-  of  lime  was  tried 

for  the  first  time  on  sorghum.     A  much  larger  quantity  of  lime  was 

used  than  was  required  for  cane.     Results  indicated  that  witii  an  abun- 
dance of  lime,  plenty  of  heat,  and  a  very  tine  chip  a  good  clarification 


62 

could  be  obtained  in  the  cell.     Further  trials,  however,  of  this  process 
on  sorghum  are  needed  to  decide  fully  upon  its  efficacy. 

Since  glucose  was  so  largely  in  excess  of  sucrose  no  attempt  was  made 
to  obtain  sugar.  The  sirup  was  concentrated  into  molasses  and  sent  to 
the  molasses-tank. 

CONCLUSIONS. 

While  the  present  season  was  in  Louisiana  a  most  disastrous  one  for 
making  sugar  from  sorghum,  yet  the  sn  cessful  application  of  diffusion 
in  the  extraction  of  the  juice  from  both  sorghum  and  sugar-cane  has 
been  abundantly  proven. 

From  sorghums  of  fair  quaility,  such  as  were  raised  on  this  station  in 
1S8G  and  1S87,  it  is  certain  that  a  large  quantity  of  sugar  could  be  ob- 
tained. From  Early  Orange  this  year  with  only  7  per  cent,  sucrose  ami 
3.33  per  cent,  glucose  (glucose  ratio  nearly  50),  31.4  pounds  sugar  were 
obtained  to  ton  of  sorghum.  This  same  variety  showed  in  1886  a  sugar 
content  of  13  per  cent.,  with  a  low  glucose  ratio,  and  in  1887,  a  less  fa- 
vorable year,  sugar  content  of  10.5  per  cent,  and  only  13  as  the  glucose 
ratio.  Could  such  cane  have  been  diffused  this  year,  a  yield  of  fully  100 
to  125  pounds  per  ton  might  with  reason  have  been  expected. 

However,  the  station  will  repeat  again  the  experiments  next  year,  with 
more  promise  of  success. 


EXPERIMENTS  AT  CONWAY  SPRINGS,  KANSAS. 


REPORT  OF  E.  W.  DEMING. 

I  have  the  honor  to  present  my  report  as  superintendent  of  the  ex- 
periments  conducted  at  this  place  the  past  season  by  your  Department 
in  the  manufacture  of  sugar  from  sorghum. 

The  experiments  were  conducted  in  connection  with  the  work  of  the 
Conway  Springs  Sugar  Company. 

This  company  was  incorporated  April  10,  1888,  under  the  laws  of  the 
State  of  Kansas,  with  an  authorized  capital  of  6100,000.  Its  officers 
are  G.  W.Fahs,  president;  E.E.Baird,  vice-president ;  (i.  B.Armstrong, 
treasurer;  E.W.  Doming,  secretary  and  manager.  The  buildings  of 
this  company  are  constructed  of  wood.  Main  building  56  by  78;  foot 
plates  with  cupolas  for  strike  pan,  diffusors, double-effects,  and  shred- 
ding loom  ;  boiler  and  engine  house  05  by  70 feet;  cutting  and  cleaning 
house,  1  i  by  14;  tool-house,  10  by  18;  oil-house,  8  by  16;  office  and  la- 
boratory, 10  by  30;  cane-shed,  10  by  150,  two  floors;  scale  house,  8  by  10; 
cooper  shop,  15  by  15. 

The  factory  was  equipped  with  two  tubular  boilers  of  150  horse-power 
cadi ;  two  30-horse-power  high-speed  engines;  three  hanging  Hepworth 
centrifugals  with  mixer;  one  7-foot  vacuum  (dry)  pan  from  R.  Deeley 
&  Co.,  New  York,  llot-ioom,  with  fifty  sugar- wagons;  Lillie  double- 
effect  from  George  M.Newhall  &  Bro., Philadelphia ;  diffusion  battery 
from  Shickle,  Harrison  &  Howard  Iron  Company,  Saint  bonis;  three 
cutters,  with  necessary  clarifiers,  skimming-pans,  and  storage  tanks. 
One  dynamo  of  100-lamp  capacity  (incandescent)  provided  lights  lor  the 
building. 

Two  Bets  rolls  and  a  tire  drier  for  crushing  and  diving  exhausted 
chips,  and  one  small  open  evaporator. 

The  diffusion  battery  consists  of  sixteen  cells  each  8  feet  long  and 
35  inches  in  diameter,  w  loiight-iion   shell  with   similar  castings,  doors 

and  counter-weights  at  each  end,  provided  with  solid  rubber  gaskets 

that  gave  satisfaction  under  a  ."JO  pound  per  inch  pressure.     One  heater 

for  each  cell,  made  of  6  inch  wrought   pipe  containing  ll  1-inch  brass 

tubes  5  feet  long;    the  connecting  and  circulating  pipes  were  of  2J-incb 

wrought  iron.    The  battery  was  placed  in  two  lines  of  seven  cells  cadi 

with  One acrOSd  each  end,  ami  supported  on  wooden    posts,  beams,  and 


64 

cross-beams  8  feet  from  the  ground  ;  each  cell  would  hold  1,400  pounds 
of  chips.  The  cost  of  this  battery  with  pipe  and  fittings  was  $5,500; 
its  work  was  in  every  way  satisfactory.  The  exhausted  chips  were  dis- 
charged into  a  chute  of  sloping  sides,  directing  them  into  a  drag  of 
peculiar  construction,  delivering  them  into  an  elevated  chute  from 
whence  a  cart  removed  them.     This  apparatus  worked  well. 

The  double-effects  are  each  4  feet  in  diameter  and  18  feet  long  placed 
on  end;  each  has  seventy  3-inch  brass  tubes  8  feet  long  placed  verti- 
cally; ends  of  tubes  properly  secured  in  plates,  steam  being  admitted 
to  the  chamber  about  the  tubes.  Tumps  draw  the  liquor  from  bottoms 
of  pans,  discharging  at  the  top,  passing  through  perforated  screens  to 
the  upper  plate  from  which  it  overflows  a  thin  film  of  juice  down  the 
inside  of  all  tubes  alike;  the  evaporation  occurs  in  the  tubes;  a  vacuum 
is  maintained  throughout  the  tubes  and  circulating  pipes.  The  vapor 
was  removed  at  lower  end  of  tubes,  with  suitable  circulating  pumps  and 
a  slight  change  in  the  tops  to  facilitate  cleaning;  they  will  not  only 
have  large  capacity  but  unusual  merit  for  handling  sorghum  juices. 
These  pans  by  reason  of  mechanical  defects  not  difficult  to  overcome 
and  the  rapid  formation  of  scale  upon  the  heating  surface,  extremely 
difficult  to  remove,  caused  some  considerable  delay  to  the  work. 

The  first  or  second  cutter,  Hughes's  style,  consisting  of  two  heavy 
balance  wheels  36  inches  in  diameter  placed  32  inches  apart  on  a. 'Much 
shaft;  two  knives  placed  horizontally  connected  the  face  of  the  balance 
wheels.  The  dead-knife  was  placed  8  inches  below  center  of  the  shaft, 
thereby  making  a  bevel  cut  on  the  cane;  space  between  end  of  drag 
and  dead-knife  23  inches;  this  permitted  the  seed  to  readily  escape  the 
knives  by  falling  into  a  drag.  Tower  was  transmitted  by  a  belt,  the 
cutters  making  200  revolutions  per  minute,  cutting  into  1-inch  sections 
a  bed  of  cane  30  inches  wide  and  0  inches  deep.  This  cutter  proved  de- 
ficient in  both  Strength  and  capacity  J  one  third  of  the  delays  and  losses 
attending  the  work  are  traced  to  this  source.  Below  the  cutter  was  a 
single  fan  20  inches  in  diameter  and  30  inches  long,  having  a  motion  of 
000  revolutions  per  minute.      Its  work  was  especially  line. 

The  two  shredders  were  each  20  inches  long  and  S  inches  in  diameter, 
provided  with  four  knives  held  in  place  by  a   peculiar  arrangement   at 

the  ends,  leaving  the  face  of  cylinder  free  of  openings.    Motion,  1,200 

revolutions  per  minute.      Doing  satisfactory  work. 

Three  clariliers  of  No.  10  iron,  round,  5  feet  in  diameter  and  30  inches 

deep  with  cone-shaped  bottoms;  2-inch  copper  coils  were  used.    They 

Lacked  SCUm  pockets;   Otherwise  then-  work  was  satisfactory. 

The  cane  shed  consisted  of  two  iloors,  each  10  feet  wide  and  150  feet 
long,  separated  one  above  the  other  by  a  space  of   1  feet.      As  a  means 

of  storing  cane  this  apparatus  worked  well. 

An  open  pan,  iron,  of  t  wo  channels  each  12  inches  wide  and  12  inches 
deep  and  20  feet  long,  filled  with  three-quarters  inch  copper  coil  was  at 
first    used  with   steam   as   a   skimming   pan  to  aid  clarification.      Later 


65 

steam  was  dispensed  with  and  the  pan  operated  as  a  continuous  flow 
settling  tank,  giving  better  satisfaction  and  suggesting  a  possible  man- 
ner of  constructing  a  rapid  system  of  continuous  flow  settling  tanks. 
To  prepare  exhausted  chips  for  use  as  fuel  were  provided  two  sets  of 
heavy  iron  rollers,  each  set  composed  of  two  rollers  12  inches  in  diam- 
eter and  37  inches  long,  placed  one  above  the  other,  the  upper  one  having 
a  covering  of  flexible  rubber  1  inch  thick. 

One  fire  drier  consisting  of  a  sheet-iron  cylinder  12  feet  long  and  4 
feet  in  diameter  open  at  both  ends.  Three  sets  of  arms  connected  the 
shell  to  a  3-inch  shaft  passing  through  the  center.  The  shaft  was  sup- 
ported by  suitable  boxes  and  cross-pieces  beyond  the  end  of  the  cylin- 
der. The  whole  placed  in  brick  work,  with  one  end  1  foot  higher  than 
the  other,  and  heated  witli  direct  fire  underneath  the  lower  end.  Six 
narrow  shelves  upon  inside  of  cylinder  served  to  elevate  the  chips  to 
fall  through  an  air  space  as  the  cylinder  was  slowly  turned  by  means  of 
a  link  belt.  This  carried  the  chips  from  the  upper  to  lower  end  of 
cylinder  where  they  were  discharged. 

This  apparatus  was  operated  parts  of  two  days.  The  two  sets  of 
double  rolls  were  placed  about  3  feet  apart;  wire  netting  36  inches 
wide  of  No.  20  steel  wire,  8  mesh  ends,  lapped  and  wired  together,  passed 
between  the  rolls  of  both  sets,  returning  underneath  and  passing  around 
a  wooden  roll  underneath  the  discharge  of  the  drag  returning  the  chips 
from  underneath  the  battery.  This  netting  solved  the  question  of  feed- 
ing these  chips  to  rolls,  and  I  believe  would  work  equally  well  upon  iron 
rolls;  the  water  readily  escapes  through  the  netting. 

The  high  speed  at  which  this  wire  carrier  and  rolls  must  necessarily 
be  operated,  the  uneven  feed  from  chip  drag,  the  difficulty  in  distribut- 
ing the  chips  evenly  upon  the  netting,  the  failure  to  remove  more  than 
about  40  per  cent,  of  the  water,  and  the  inability  of  the  drier  through 
winch  the  chips  afterwards  passed  to  more  than  warm  them  were  con- 
sidered sufficient  reason  for  their  speedy  removal.  There  is  a  possible 
Lope  for  better  success  with  these  rolls  if  the  chips  an*  taken  into  a 
large  chute  from  which  a  constant,  even,  well  distributed  \'cv(\  may  be 
furnished  them  :  even  then  artificial  beat  would  be  required  t<>  remove 
an  additional  amount  of  moisture  before  good  combustion  is  obtained. 
The  pieces  of  rind  or  shell  cross  eacb  other,  forming  small  spaces  to  be 

filled    with    pith     and     moisture,   and     the  spongy    nature    of    this    pith 
makes  it  tenacious  of  water  during  the  process  of  rolling. 
'fhe  chip  elevator  gave  some  trouble  when  permitted  to  get  out  of 

repair.  The  wagon,  t  urn  table,  cane  shed,  outside  drag-,  engines, 
pumps,  d\  iiamo,  and  strike  pan  gave  entire  satisfaction. 

The  Centrifugals  did  excellent  work  even  upon  the  worst  inclados. 
The  process  of  work  is  as  follows: 

The  cane  is  received  from  the  farmer  upon  specially  constructed 
racks.  The  wagon  is  driven  on  a  turn-table  by  which  it  was  squared 
about,   then    backed   a   tew    feet    against    an   ordinary    wagon    scales   on 

l  W56— Bull  20  — o 


66 

which  was  a  raised  platform  3  feet  high;  an  iron  book  was  secured  in 
the  two  ropes  placed  around  the  load  by  the  farmer;  a  friction  clutch 
at  the  opposite  end  of  the  cane  shed,  nearly  1MJ0  feet  distant,  drew  the 
load  over  the  rear  end  to  the  scales.  Here  it  was  weighed  net,  and  the 
farmer's  ropes  removed.  An  endless  sling  was  then  thrown  over  the 
cane,  the  same  power  taking  it  into  one  of  the  floors  comprising  the 
cane  shed,  where  it  was  left  for  night  run  or  taken  directly  through  to 
a  small  downward  incline,  where  two  men  pulled  it  apart,  feeding  to 
three  chains  with  attachments  that  carried  it  1  foot  above  a  cross  drag 
leading  to  the  cutters.  The  feed  was  regulated  by  stopping  and  start- 
ing  this  chain.  This  drag  leading  to  first  cutter  has  a  motion  of  40  feet 
per  minute,  carrying  the  cane  in  bundles  a  few  inches  of  space  between 
the  tops  of  one  bundle  and  the  tops  of  the  next;  this  permitted  seed  to 
drop  freely.  Seed  was  hauled  directly  to  the  field  and  left  in  small 
piles;  that  required  for  sugar  work  next  season  is  carefully  selected  by 
hand,  tied  up  into  bundles  of  18  tufts,  two  bundles  then  tied  together 
and  so  hung  up  in  a  dry  place.  The  rest  is  stacked,  allowed  to  pass 
through  a  sweat,  and  thrashed  in  February.  It  is  sold  in  large  quanti- 
ties at  good  prices  to  ranchmen,  who  sow  it  for  fodder  for  stock.  The 
inch  sections  of  cane  as  they  are  cut  fall  into  a  strong  blast  of  air  di- 
rectly underneath,  by  which  the  leaves  and  sheaths  are  removed.  By 
means  of  a  link-belt  drag  the  cleaned  sections  are  conveyed  into  the 
main  building  to  an  elevator,  taking  them  above  the  roof,  where  they 
are  discharged  into  the  hopper  of  the  shredder  and  reduced  to  pulp, 
which  falls  into  a  carrier  passing  over  the  diffusion  battery.  Openings 
in  bottom  of  this  carrier  permit  the  cane  chips  to  be  spouted  to  cells  on 
either  side. 

About  September  15  a  trial  run  was  made  with  whiting  (carbonate  of 
lime)  by  placing  it  in  each  cell  of  chips,  its  object  being  to  prevent  in- 
version during  the  process  of  diffusion.  The  results  were  disappointing. 
At  the  instigation  of  Dr.  II.  \V.  Wiley  an  apparatus  was  provided  for 
dusting  finely  powdered  air-slaked  lime  upon  the  chips  as  they  left  the 
shredder,  about  1  quart  being   required  tor  each  1,400  pounds  of  chips. 

As  this  apparatus  was  under  nearly  perfect  control,  any  degree  of  acid- 
ity of  the  juice  desiied  was  secured;   it  was  generally  carried  nearly  to 

the  neutral  point,  preventing  all  inversion,  which  the  whiting  failed 

to  do. 

Ordinary  clariliers  of  450  gallons  capacity  were  used  and  the  acid  in 
juice  nearly  if  not  quite  neutralized,  [f  the  juice  was  properly  limed  in 
the  cell,  very  few  scums  were  found  in  the  clariliers.  The  battery  was 
ope  lated  at  a  temperal  ure  of  ISO  f\i  hi  en  licit  in  center  and  cooler  at  each 
end;  a  higher  temperature  would  have  greatly  assisted  classification. 

hmihie  effects  concentrated  the  clarified  juice  to  10°  Brix,  and  the 
strike  pan  completed  the  work. 

Although   the  semi  sirup  contained  a  purity    often   above   70,  it  was 

difficult  and  generally  impossible  to  start  a  grain  in  the  pan \  a  strike 


67 

thus  boiled  to  grain  produced  exceedingly  fine  grain,  difficult  to  purge 
and  invariably  dark  in  color,  no  better  than  a  number  of  early  strikes 
boiled  to  string.  These  tine,  gummy,  dark  sugars,  dissolved  in  clarified 
juices,  were  used  to  start  the  grain  ;  an  amount  equal  in  weight  to  one- 
fifth  that  of  each  strike  produced  a  line  sugar  of  medium  size  grain,  re- 
markable for  its  uniformity  of  grain,  color,  and  parity.  All  sugars  were 
taken  to  the  mixer  and  passed  through  the  centrifugals  as  speedily  as 
possible  to  remove  them  from  contact  with  the  black  molasses. 

The  entire  water  supply  was  obtained  from  a  bed  of  gypsum  65  feet 
from  the  surface,  and  was  positively  unfit  for  use  in  either  the  boilers 
or  the  diffusion  battery.  The  injurious  effects  of  this  water  were  ob- 
served early,  Dr.  Wiley  being  the  first  to  suspect  the  true  cause.  V>y 
the  use  of  this  water  for  diffusion  there  is  a  loss  (estimated)  of  22£ 
pounds  of  sugar  from  each  ton  of  cane  worked,  or  35  per  cent.  It  ruined 
the  molasses,  and  to  this  gypsum  is  attributed,  directly  or  indirectly, 
nearly  two-thirds  of  the  annoying  and  expensive  delays  and  losses  in- 
cident to  the  present  season's  work. 

Canes  of  unusual  richness  were  worked,  the  battery  secured  a  good 
extraction,  the  entire  evaporation  occurred  in  vacuum  with  but  slight 
inversion  of  sugar  ;  but  large  yields  of  sugar  did  not  follow.  The  analy- 
ses of  molasses  fiom  the  sugars  explain  much,  many  of  them  showing 
the  relative  sugars  four  and  even  four  and  one-half  to  one.  yet  so  en- 
gulfed with  a  mass  of  gums  black  and  bitter  as  to  render  impracticable 
any  attempt  to  secure  second  sugars.  In  my  opinion,  the  estimated  loss 
of  sugar  due  to  the  use  of  this  water  should  be  doubled.  I  would  re 
spectfully  ask  critically  inclined  persons  to  keep  these  facts  in  mind 
when  reviewing  the  accompanying  tables,  which  contain,  notwithstand- 
ing, some  interesting  and  reliable  information. 

The  farmer  looks  upon  this  industry  as  one  created  for  bis  especial 
benefit,  and  when  considered  from  his  stand-point  as  judged  by  itsagri 
cult  are.  can  see  only  magnificent  successes  for  nil  sugar  work.  An  aver- 
age cio])  of  cane  as  grown  in  this  section  at  (2  per  ton  equals  in  value 
the  land  upon  which  it  is  grown.  No  crops  are  gTOWU  with  more  cer- 
tainty ;  others,  corn  especially,  in  mosl  localities  of  this  section  arc  not 
sure  every  season.  One  farmer  growing  30  acres  reports  an  av< 
\  ield  of  L3J  tons  per  acre.  Borne  small  pieces  produced  more,  the  a^  or- 
age  being  LOj  tons  per  acre.  Ten  thousand  acres  of  cane  at  $2  per  ton 
could  easily  be  contracted  for  delivery  n<  ion.    The  farmers  are 

not  slow  to  see  the  advantages  offered  in  growing  cane  at  these  prices. 

The  soil  of  this  section  can  be  called  neither  clay  nor  sand,  being  light, 

loose,  not  sticky,  light  in  color,  contains  little  organic  matter  and  pro- 
duces <>niy  a  medium  sized  stalk  of  i  oi  n  or  cane. 

I  attribute  the  phenomenal  richness  of  c  irn  here  the  past 

son  to  warm  soil,  high  olevatiou  — 1,500  feel  above  sea  level — pure,  dry 
atmosphere,  proper  selection  ol  seed,  good  culture,  and  longperiod  of 
hot,  dry  weather;  the  latter  acting  t  o  some  extent  as  an  unfavorable 


68 

condition  of  growth,  the  plant  in  its  efforts  to  reproduce  itself  develop- 
ing a  higher  content  of  sugar. 

Dark,  heavy  soils  produce  a  stalk  of  abnormal  size,  continuing  its 
grow  tli  until  checked  by  frosts,  containing  invariably  a  large  per  cent. 
of  reducing  sugars. 

Light,  thin  soils  produce  an  undersized  stalk  perhaps  4  feet  long, 
maturing  but  a  handful  of  seed,  generally  showing  a  high  per  cent,  of 
sugar  and  often  a  very  low  per  cent,  of  reducing  sugars.  If  these  con- 
clusions are  correct,  the  elevated  table  lands  of  southwestern  Kansas, 
situated  directly  south  and  west  of  the  Arkansas  River  Valley,  will  offer 
inducements  for  the  prosecution  of  this  weak  not  found  in  localities  north 
and  cast  of  that  valley. 

A  remarkable  feature  of  this  season's  crop  was  its  high  average  con- 
tent of  sugar,  low  per  cent,  of  reducing  sugars,  and  the  disposition  to 
increase  the  former  at  the  expense  of  the  latter  for  nearly  two  months 
after  the  cane  had  matured  its  seed.  The  last  analysis  of  stalk  cane 
made  November  12,  from  held  cane  twice  frozen,  was  13.85  per  cent. 
sucrose,  1.01  per  cent,  glucose. 

I  believe  this  crop  of  cane  the  richest  by  far  of  any  ever  grown  and 
worked  for  sugar. 

But  one  trial  run  was  made,  worked  by  itself:  43  tons  of  cleaned  cane, 
from  which  were  obtained  3,8.">0  pounds  of  sugar  of  98  per  cent,  purity 
and  1,000  gallons  of  molasses,  being  90  pounds  of  sugar  and  23. -{gallons 
of  molasses  from  each  ton.  The  laboratory  work  under  the  direction 
of  Dr.  II.  W.  Wiley,  in  charge  of  Prof.  E.  A.  Von  Schweinitz,  assisted 
by  Mr.  Oma  Carr,  has  been  most  satisfactory.  The  information  gained 
through  their  labors  will  prove  very  interesting  and  valuable  to  all 
friends  of  this  industry. 

I  am  well  satislied  no  well-regulated  sugar  works  can  be  successfully 
operated  and  the  best  results  obtained  unless  a  complete  chemical  con- 
trol of  the  every -day  work  prevails. 

Their  services  are  invaluable  as  a  check  upon  the  work  of  diffusion 
and  clarification.  A  change  from  hard  to  SOftei  cane  or  a  slight  altera- 
tion in  the  adjustment  of  the  shredder  may  result  in  great  loss  of  sugar 
in  tin-  former  ;  a  change  in  the  treatment  of  the  juice  results  in  loss  by 
inversion  in  the  latter.  The  cause  and  extent  in  each  case  are  dis- 
Closed  only  b\   t  lie  chemist's  art. 

An  expenditure  upon  this  plant  of  (2,000  or  $3,000  for  an  additional 
boiler  ami  cutters  would  give  it  a  working  capacity  of  fully  L60  tons  per 
day  wilh  a  lull  equipment  of  new  and  modern  machinery.  This  plant 
could  now  lie  duplicated  for  much  less  money. 

To  the  unfriendly  critic  the  statements  hereiu  made  will  be  a  source 
of  comfort,  lor,  alas,  nothing  succeeds  like  success;  results,  not  causes. 
arc  wanted,  and  no  mitigating  circumstances  or  unfavorable  conditions 
are  considered.    Nevertheless  those  best  informed  See  much  that  is  very 

encouraging. 


69 

A  new  and  desirable  system  of  storing  and  preparing  cane  for  diffu- 
sion was  tested,  its  advantages* proven,  and  its  weak  points  disclosed; 
this,  with  the  high  per  cent,  of  sugar  found  in  this  cane,  is  a  fair  offset 
for  losses  sustained  by  weak  cutters  and  the  use  of  gypsum  water. 

The)  following  facts  may  not  be  out  of  place:  This  enterprise  was  no 
exception  to  those  preceding  in  respect  to  starting  late  in  the  season, 
after  the  crop  was  planted,  as  it  were.  Less  than  three  months  inter- 
vened between  the  placing  of  orders  for  the  machinery  and  the  date  of 
ripening  of  the  first  planted  cane.  The  factory  was,  two  weeks  late  in 
starting  and  the  other  end  of  the  season  shortened  by  burning  of  the 
boilers  November  4,  leaving  75  acres  of  most  excellent  cane  that  was 
rich  in  sugar. 

The  gypsum  had  a  most  disastrous  effect  upon  the  boilers;  frequent 
stoppages  of  work  were  required  to  clean  them.  By  reason  of  excessive 
scaling  of  boiler  shell  and  tubes  tlie  efficiency  of  the  boilers  was  greatly 
reduced. 

The  following  figures  relative  to  this  plant  were  taken  from  the  books 
of  the  company  and  are  reliable  : 

Cost  of  sugar-works  plant $44,547.72    $44,547.72 

Less  co3t  of  water-works  plaut 6, 000.  00 


38,547,  7^5 


Donation  city  water-works  bonds 12,  BOO.  00 

Received  from  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture 10,000.00 

Farmers'  stock,  for  cane,  paid  in    4,  500.  00 


•27  '100.00 


Cost  to  present  owners 1 7 ,  *J  1 7 .  7  J 


Cost  of  labor 

Less  labor  on  water- works 1,500.00 


l.  :•>'.••;.  o-j 

Cos!  of  fuel 3,096.33 

Coal  ofoane 5,980.00 

Cos!  of  incidentals,  barrels,  etc 1,364.37 

1 1,6 

100,000  pounds  of  sugar  at  6j  cents $6,500.00 

100,000  pounds  sugar.  2  cents  State  bounty 2,000 

36,000  gallons  of  molasses  at  L2  cm  is 4,320.00 

0,000  bushels  seed,  50  cents   estimated) 3,001 

15,820.00 


Gain 9c3.  > 

Five  thousand  dollars  were  paid  to  railroads  for  freighl  transportation. 

Tlie  cost  for  coal  and  labor  to  handle  1  ton  Of  cane  Is  2.50  cents;   much 

coal  was  used  for  testing  machinery,  water-works,  etc  Profit  per  ton 
over  cost  of  production, 33  cents.  Taking  the  season  as  ;i  whole  the 
plant   w.is  operated  at  less  than  half  its  capacity  with   no  dec. 

in  cost  of  labor.      Fully  1~>(>  tOUSCOUld  have  been  worked  with  l  lie  same 


70 

labor  and  an  increase  of  20  per  cent,  of  fuel,  making  the  value  per  ton 
of  cane  worked  over  cost  of  production  1.02  cents,  or  8243  per  day. 

For  working  a  200-ton  plant,  costing  perhaps  20  per  cent,  additional 
above  this  one,  labor  and  incidentals  increased  10  per  cent,  and  fuel  25 
per  cent.,  would  show  value  of  product  over  cost  of  production  of  3.C0 
cents  per  ton,  or  $720  per  day.  These  yields  are  based  upon  results  of 
this  season's  work,  00  pounds  of  sugar  and  10.]  gallons  of  molasses  from 
each  ton,  which  certainly  is  20  per  cent,  less  than  may  reasonably  be 
expected  by  the  use  of  good  water. 

The  average  quality  of  sugar  as  placed  upon  the  market  from  these 
works  was  equal  to  the  best  in  purity,  but  stained  slightly  by  contact 
with  black  molasses.  It  has  a  hard,  firm,  medium  sized,  well-cut  grain, 
was  dried  thoroughly,  and  unlike  all  fine-grained  sorghum  sugars  here- 
tofore produced  does  not  cake  or  become  hard  in  the  barrel.  It  stands 
next  to  granulated  in  price  and  sweetening  power,  the  jobber  selling  at 
Gg  cents  per  pound  more  of  this  sugar  than  all  yellow  sugars  combined. 
Confectioners  appreciate  its  sweetening  power.  The  molasses  was  very 
dark  in  color,  sharp  and  bitter  to  the  taste,  classed  but  little  better 
than  black-strap;  with  pure  water  the  quality  would  be  improved  and 
the  selling  price  increased  to  18  or  20  cents  per  gallon. 

Unless  some  means  are  devised  for  removing  a  larger  per  cent.  ^^\'  the 
impurities  in  the  juice  or  a  less  quantity  of  sugar  is  secured,  enabling 
the  production  of  a  molasses  suitable  for  table  use,  the  near  future  will 
see  enormous  quantities  of  molasses  produced  lit  only  for  mixing  pur 
poses,  for  which  the  demand  is  necessarily  limited. 

A  plant  working  200  tons  per  day  will  produce  annually  200,000  gal- 
lons of  molasses,  and  unless  suitable  for  table  use  it  must  be  used  for 
fattening  hogs  and  cattle  or  converted  into  alcohol. 

The  Department  of  Agriculture,  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  II.  W. 
Wiley,  who  first  advocated  and  practically  applied  the  process  of  diffu- 
sion to  the  manufacture  of  sugar  from  sorghum,  has  made  it  possible  to 

secure  practically   all   the  sugar  in    the  juice,  this   being  the   first   and 

greatest  step  toward  the  establishment  of  the  industry  j  the  next  great- 
est and  scarcely  less  important  stop  still  awaits  a  solution.  I  refer  to 
the  clarification  of  sorghum  juices.    The  methods  now  employed  for 

this  purpose  are  borrowed  from  the  sugarcane  work  of  Louisiana,  being 

merely  the  addition  of  lime  and  removing  what  scums  appear  on  the 

surface. 

Analy.sis  shows  the  amount  of  sugar  in  each  ton  of  cane,  averaging 
the  whole  season,  to  be  1'  l!>  pounds  ;  the  glucose  would  hold  in  solution 
00  pounds,  leaving  183  pounds  available,  did  not  other  solids,  as  gums, 
Starch,  coloring  matter,  etc,  also  restrain  J  times  their  equal  of  sugar 
from  graining  mil  ll  a  possible  ,\  iehl  of  100  pounds  or  less  from  each  ton 
Of  Cane  is  our   best   work.      .Musi   W0   stop   here   and    permit    the  loss  of 

one-half  or  more  of  the  Bugarfouud  iu  the  cane.'  The  task  is  not  an 
easy  one  as  the  many  know  who  line  considered  it  even  briefly,  but  its 
importance  and  necessity  demand  thai  we  sit  not  idly  by. 


71 

The  people  of  the  whole  southwestern  portion  of  this  State  to  my  per- 
sonal knowledge  are  enthusiastic  upon  the  question  of  sorghum  sugar; 
a  failure  any  season  to  grow  good  sorghum  is  not  recorded.  The  es- 
tablishing of  sugar  works  would  bring  under  cultivation  lauds  now 
considered  of  little  value  except  for  growing  sorghum,  and  fortunately 
will  produce  a  sorghum  of  the  very  best  quality  for  producing  sugar. 

These  facts  are  fully  appreciated,  and  every  town,  many  without 
water,  and  others  without  railroads,  aspires  to  the  possession  of  a 
sugar  works. 

Daily  during  the  working  season  committees,  delegations,  and  indi- 
viduals visited  the  sugar  works,  leaving  full  of  confidence  in  the  work- 

A  number  of  factories  could  be  erected  in  this  section  next  season  if 
experienced  men  could  be  found  to  operate  them. 


ABSTRACT  OF  MR.  DEMING'S  REPORT  TO  THE  CONWAY  SPRINGS 

SUGAR  COMPANY. 

To  President  and  Stockholders  of  Conway  Springs  Sugar  Company : 

I  hereby  submit  for  your  consideration  the  following  report  of  your  works  the  past 
season  : 

I  would  especially  call  your  attention  to  the  following  facts:  A  complete  organiza- 
tion was  not  effected  until  about  April  20.  Orders  for  machinery  were  placed  about 
June  1;  very  little  machinery  had  arrived  July  1;  all  the  heavy  machinery  was  on 
the  ground  July  25,  the  strike  pan  and  boilers  only  being  placed.  Boilers  were  first 
fired  August  15;  cane-shed  and  cutters  tested  August  22  ;  first  chips  taken  to  battery 
August  2(5.  On  this  latter  date  was  completed  drags  and  an  arrangement  for  drying 
chips  to  be  used  as  fuel.  The  two  following  days  they  were  tested,  and  removed 
during  the  next  two.  Eleven  cells  of  chips  were  diffused  August  28  and  29  and  con- 
centrated in  the  strike-pan.  Regular  work  began  September  1  on  early  cane,  pro- 
ducing only  molasses.      .Sep ember  12  began  work  on  orange  eaue  for  sugar. 

Prom  the  foregoing  you  will  observe  the  late  date  of  organization,  the  necessarily 
short  time  for  selecting  suitable  machinery,  and  also  for  its  manufacture.  From 
Bpeciul  designs  most  of  it  was  manufactured  in  the  Fast  at  increased  cost.  This, 
in  connection  with  the  time  and  labor  required  for  placing  the  same  and  making  the 
necessary  pipe  connections  throughout  the  building  with  a  class  of  mechanics  and 
laborers  without  previous  experience  with  this  line  of  machinery,  accounts  for  start- 
ing the  factory  two  weeks  after  the  cane  was  ready. 

For  growing  cane  the  season  was  unfavorable.  Sod  cane  and  late  plauting  were 
greatly  injured  by  the  drought. 

Fifty  farmers  contracted  to  -row  6  0  acres  of  cane,  one  hundred  and  five  acres 
of  old  ground  were  planted  with  amber  seed  represented  as  pure,  but  badly  mixed 
with  orange,  which  was  worked  green,  contained  no  sugar,  and  too  immature  to  produce 
good  molasses.  Fifty-four  acres  produced  -  tons  per  acre  ;  51  acres  remain  unworked, 
of  no  value  except  as  fodder.  One  hundred  acres  of  sod  were  planted  to  orange;  50 
acres  produced  5  tons  pi  r  acre;  the  other  50,  planted  late,  is  onlj  suit  aide  for  fodder. 

Three  hundred  and  ninety-  live  acres  of  old  ground  w  ere  planted  to  orange;   220  acre 

were  worked,  producing  LOJ  tons  per  acre;  175 aores remain  unworked;  of  this,  LOO 
acres,  Late  planting,  only  tit  for  fodder,  while  75  acres  ol  most  excellent  cane  yet  re- 

inain  in  the  field. 

A  few  acres  of  Link's  Hybrid  variety  of  cane  were  grown,  making  ■  satisfactory 

growth,  but  inferior  to  the  Orange  both  ill  sugar  content    and  power  of  retaining  it* 
sugar  alter  the  seed  had  matured. 


2 


A  slight  frost  occurred  October  25,  and  a  heavier  one  November  4,  doing  no  damage. 
A  freeze  occurred  November  !),  and  again  on  the  11th. 

The  unfortunate  burning  of  the  boilers  November  4.  when  machinery  was  working 
well,  with  cane  in  its  best  condition,  aud  the  prospect  good  for  working  the  whole 
crop,  is  indeed  to  be  regretted. 

The  farmers  are  to  be  congratulated  on  their  readiness  to  grow  cane,  disposition  to 
aid  the  enterprise  by  taking  stock,  paying  therefor  in  cane,  and  their  success  in  pro- 
ducing a  crop  of  cane  never  before  equaled  in  its  sugar-making  properties. 

A  very  remarkable  fact  developed  by  the  factory  work  was  the  canes'  unusually 
high  content  of  sugar  and  its  disposition  to  not  only  maintain  but  increase  its  BUgnr 
content,  at  the  same  time  decreasing  its  invert  sugar.  The  fact  that  this  cane  had 
matured  its  seed  nearly  two  months  previous,  some  having  been  frozen  and  thawed 
twice  by  November  12,  date  of  last  analysis,  indicates  that  this  section,  by  its  'nigh 
elevation,  dry  atmosphere,  absence  of  early  frosts,  and  peculiar  soil,  has.  so  far  as  my 
knowledge  extends,  advantages  not  possessed  by  other  localities. 

The  last  analysis  of  field  cane  was  made  November  12,  13.8.")  sucrose  aud  1. 01  glu- 
cose. August  15  cane  was  in  condition  for  making  sugar,  and  remained  so  until 
November  lf>,  providing  a  three  months'  working  Beason,  nearly  one  month  longer 
than  at  Fort  Scott.  Sixty-three  analyses  of  cane  chips,  fully  representative  of  the 
crop  and  the  season,  averaged  12.45  per  cent,  of  sucrose  (true  sugar),  and  '2.;>7  per 
cent,  of  glucose  (reducing  sugars.)  The  average  of  fifty-three  analyses  taken  at  Fort 
S.-ot  t  lasl  Beason  was  9.54  sucrose,  and  3.40  glucose.  Admitting  these  juices  contained 
no  other  solids  not  sugar,  except  the  glucose  (which  is  not  true),  yet  granting  an 
equal  per  cent.,  the  cane  grown  here  has  182.8  pounds  available  sugar  per  ton,  against 
y.').(')  pounds  at  Fort  Scott. 

As  further  evidence  of  the  phenomenal  conditions  prevailing  here  I  would  call  your 
attention  to  the  averages  of  analyses  from  which  the  above  was  taken  : 


No. 

24 
4 
63 

Dates. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

2.  0J 
2.  07 
1.69 

11.15 
L3.23 
13  (5 

Total 

12.45 

2.  :t7 

Note  the  increase  of  sucrose  and  the  corresponding  decrease  of  glucose.  Such  rela- 
tions of  the  two  BUgars  in  sorghum,  existing  for  a  period  of  two  months,  are  without 
precedent  in  the  whole  history  of  the  industry,  and  suggest  that  possibly  the  area  over 
which  this  business  may  be  conducted  with  the  greatest  success  is  not  limitless,  as 
some  suppose. 

Tie-  cane  worked  produced  ahoilt  (1,000  bushels  of  seed  j  2,  163  tons  of  cleaned  cane 
were  worked  for  molasses,  producing  36,000  gallons,  or  16.6  gallons  per  ton,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  sugar  ;  1,07:?  tons  of  cleaned  cane  were  worked  for  ..ugar,  producing  100,000 
pounds,  or  <'><»  pounds  per  ton  :   'J  10  tons  were  lost— in  the  fans,  :!  ;  not  drawn  from  bat- 

tery,  117 ;  soured  in  battery,  20;  soured  semi  sirup.  10;  lefl  as  semi-sirup  when  work 

en. led,   (ill. 

A  supply  of  water  sufficient  for  the  water-works  also  was  obtained  at  considerable 
cost. 

The  well  furnishing  the  supply  being  IS  inches  in  diameter  aud  50  feel  deep  through 

a  substance  known  as  keel,  an   -  inch  di  ill-hole  was  carried    15  feet    below  ;    into  this 
was  placed  a  .".  inch  BUG  I  ion  pipe. 

The  maximum  supply  Of  water  was  equal  to  t  he  discharge,  under  Blight  pressure,  of 

a  :;  inch  pipe,  inadequate  for  factory  work;  500  feel  distant  was  formed  n  pond  from 
winch  a  3-inch  discharge  pump  supplied  the  boilers,  diffusion  battery,  and  double 


73 

effects;  two  days' time  were  lost  in  making  this  change,  but  an  adequate  supply 
of  water  was  obtained. 

I  have  endeavored  to  prepare  a  statement  whereby  the  expenses  incurred  in  opera- 
tion could  be  shown  and  the  real  profit  or  loss  upon  this  season's  work  clearly  shown. 
Much  labor  belonging  to  plant  account  has  been  charged  to  operation.  A  complete 
separation  of  the  water- works  and  sngar  company's  interests  in  this  respect  is  impos- 
sible. Quite  a  quantity  of  fuel  is  on  band,  some  work  yet  remains  to  be  done,  and 
further,  very  much  of  the  product  remains  on  hand  unsold.  Therefore,  any  state- 
ment now  offered  will  in  great  part  be  assumed.  However,  with  figures  now  at  hand, 
and  estimating  value  of  products  from  prices  already  obtained,  I  may  confidently  as- 
sert that  tho  product  of  this  season's  work  considerably  more  than  equals  in  value 
the  cost  of  its  production.  This  is  a  very  creditable  showing  indeed,  especially  when 
we  consider  that  from  one  canst-  or  another  the  factory,  taking  the  season  as  a  whole, 
averaged  less  than  half  its  capacity  without  a  corresponding  reduction  in  the  operat- 
ing expenses. 

MR.  DEMING'S  DIRECTIONS  FOR  RAISING  CANE. 

Much  depends  on  a  good  stand  from  the  first  planting.  No  filling-in  will  be  al- 
lowed. If  necessary  to  replant  any  portion,  it  must  be  replowed,  cultivated,  or  listed 
over. 

The  field  should  first  be  cleared  of  all  trash,  such  as  stalks,  weeds,  and  bunches  of 
grass.  This  is  best  done  by  raking  and  burning.  Unless  a  lister  is  used  a  good  seed 
bed,  such  as  for  wheat,  should  be  provided,  and  the  seed  deposited  in  fresh,  moisl 
earth,  deep  enough  to  insure  moist  lire,  yet  not  beyond  the  sun's  warmth.  This  varies 
from  one-half  inch  in  depth  on  heavy  clay  soils  to  3  or  more  inches  on  light,  loose, 
sandy  soil. 

It  is  essential  that  the  seed  be  planted  at  an  even,  uniform  depth  to  insure  its  com- 
ing up  and  ripening  early,  and  the  seed  must  under  no  circumstances  be  dropped  or 
covered  by  hand.  For  loose  sandy  soils  a  lister  is  a  good  planter.  A  good  garden 
drill  may  answer,  and  under  some  circumstances  a  forced  wheat  drill,  having  all  the 
hole-,  except  the  two  next  the  outside  ones  closed  :  but  tor  a  prepared  seed  bed 
nlar  two-horse  corn  planter,  with  or  without  a  drill  attachment,  gives  the  besl  re- 
sults, planting  at  a  uniform  depth,  and  the  wheel  tinning  the  soil  about  the 
causing  it  to  germinate  and  grow  more  rapidly,  with  a  better  start  of  the  weeds. 

Unless  the  planter  has  broom-corn  plates,  which  are  the  hesr,  the  holes  in  the  com 
plates  should  be  partially  dosed,  with  lead,  babbitt,  cork,  or  leather,  until  they  ad- 
mit of  the  passage  of  not  more  than  four  or  five  seeds  at  each  movement  of  the  plate. 
A  slight  excels  of  seed   should  l»e  planted,  and  the;  hoe  used  to  properly  clean  it 

out.     This  should    be   done    invariably  before   the   cane    is  I  inches   high.      Good  soils 

will  produce  a  stalk  of  oane  for  each  I  inches  of  row  space.     When  the  rows  are  42 

inches  apart,  two  stalks  should  be  allowed  a  space  of  1<»  inches,  three  stalks  1-  inches, 
four  stalks  :!()  inches,  six  stalks  42  inches,  and  never  more  than  six  Btalkl  in  any  one 
bunch,  no  matter  how-  spaced. 

Foul  land  is  easiest  tended  when  planted  in  checks,  and  all  lands  so  planted  pro- 
duced more  sugar,  bul  a  smaller  tonnage,  than  when  planted  in  drills.  The  cultiva- 
tion should  he  merely  upon  the  surface  to  avoid  cutting  and  otherwise  disturbing  the 

roots,  checking    their   giowth,  and    inducing  a  growth  of  BOCken    to    sap  the   parent 

stalks  and  retard  their  development.  m 

■  All  that  is  required  is  to  keep  the  graSS  and  weeds  in  check,  and  all  cultivation 
Should  Cease  when  the  joints  appear,  as  any  interference  with  the    rOOtfl   at   this  time 

results  most   seriously,     one  well-matnred  stalk  will  grow  on  the  space  occupied 

by  two  small  one-,  is  as  heavy  as  |ia  small  ones,  and  contains  more  juice  BOgai  and 
less  impurities   in  proportion  to   its  weight.       the   seed   and    lea\es    are    less   than   -J.". 

per  cent,  of  total  weight  of  the  large  stalks,  while  with  small  canes  the  loss  from 

this  source  may  reach  lull  \   •".()  percent. 


74 

To  plant  cane  upon  new  ground  the  turned  sod  should  be  quite  thin,  but  evenly 
and  smoothly  laid.  The  seed  should  be  planted  with  a  two-horse  corn-planter,  pro- 
vided will)  a  rolling  coulter  to  cut  and  not  displace  the  sod,  depositing  the  seed  just 
underneath  the  subsoil.  The  sod  acts  as  an  excellent  ninlch  to  retain  moisture  and 
prevent  the  growth  of  grass  and  weeds,  no  cultivation  or  further  attention  except 
thinning  being  necessary  until  harvest  time 

A  good  practice  for  planting  cane  upon  old  ground  is  to  plow  the  land  at  any  time 
during  early  spring,  but  do  not  harrow.  At  planting  time  take  a  two-horse  cultivator, 
place  three  small  shovels  niton  each  beam,  spread  and  fasten  the  beams  so  that  the 
(shovels  will  work  up  a  space  for  two  rows  each  -1  inches  deep  and  12  inches  wide. 
Let  the  planter  follow  soon,  depositing  the  seed  in  the  center  of  this  worked-over 
space.  There  will  be  no  weeds  or  grass  for  (!  inches  upon  either  side  of  the  plants, 
and  the  cultivator  will  care  for  the  space  between  the  rows.  Cane  deteriorates  very 
rapidly  when  cut,  lying  on  the  ground  in  bunches,  exposed  to  the  sun  and  drying 
winds,  a  few  days  of  such  exposure  changing  the  sugar  into  glucose. 

Cane  should  be  delivered  the  same  day  as  cut,  the  only  except  ion  to  this  rule  being 
to  cut  and  load  on  the  wagon  the  evening  before  what  can  be  delivered  early  the  next 
morning. 

Next  to  the  importance  of  properly  thinning  the  canes  the  necessity  of  having  well- 
mat  U  red,  freshly  cut,  promptly  delivered  cane  is  the  most  important  point  connected 
with  the  agriculture  of  this  business. 

Instructions  for  converting  an  ordinary  hay-rack  into  a  cane-rack  will  lie  furnished 
by  the  cane  agent.  Each  wagon  must  be  provided  with  two  ropes,  each  three-fourths 
of  an  inch  in  diameter  and  35  feet  long,  by  which  the  cane  is  unloaded.  The  cane 
must  he  loaded  so  the  tops  project  over  the  right  side  of  the  rack,  facing  the  team. 

REPORT  OF  E.  A.  v.  SCHWEINITZ. 

The  character  of  the  growing  season  of  1888,  for  sorghum,  in  the 

vicinity  of  Conway  Springs,  record  of  which  was  kept  by  Mr.  J.  M. 
Wilson,  the  cane-grower,  was  the  following: 

From  April  10  to  21,  when  the  first  planting  was  made,  the  ground 
was  still  cold,  lint  otherwise  in  good  condition.  April  21  to  25  the 
weather  was  cool  and  cloudy,  followed  by  heavy  rains  on  the  26tb  and 
L'Tth,  and  by  heavy  frost  on  April  30,  whivh  froze  the  ground  one  half 
inch. 

The  beginning  of  May  was  clear  and  cool,  with  rain  on  the  0th,  fol- 
lowed by  clear  and  warmer  weather  up  to  the  10th,  with  rain  on  the  17th, 
warmer  weather  until    the   24th,  when   there  was  again   a   heavy   r.iin. 

The  month  of  June  was  warm,  \\  i t  h  good  rains  upon  the  8th,  21st,  aud 
20tb. 

duly  and  August  were  exceedingly  hot  months,  with  scorching  winds, 
but  with  a  good   rain  on   duly  II, and   light    rain  on  August  5  and  (J. 

September  and  <  October  were  hot  and  dry,  \\  ith  no  rain  until  October 
2K  The  fust  heavy  frosl  occtirred  November  4,  but  did  not  damage 
the  cane.  The  fust  freeze  was  on  November  !>.  Already  on  October 
25  there  was  lighi  frosty  but  not  sufficient  to  kill  the  leaves,  and  by  No- 
vember 'J  they  were  thoroughly  dry  and  dead. 

Work  stopped  on  November  I.  and  November  8  there  was  a  heavy 

sm»\v  si. .tin  and  blizzard.  The  last  cane  was  analyzed  a  week  alter  the 
factory  slopped,  bill  appeared  as  good  as  at  any  time  during  the  season 


(o 

and  did  not  at  that  date  show  any  effects  of  the  thaw  following  the 
freeze.     This  was  due,  probably,  to  the  fact  tliat  the  cane  was  very  dry. 

The  elevation  of  Conway  Springs  is  about  1,500  feet  above  the  sea- 
level.  The  soil  upon  which  the  sorghum  was  planted  is  an  upland  sandy 
loam.  About  one-fourth  of  the  crop  was  upon  sod  land  and  the  rest  on 
Old  plowed  land. 

The  subsoil  is  derived  from  the  decomposition  of  friable  red  shale, 
which  contains  a  fairly  large  percentage  of  phosphoric  acid  with  but 
little  potash. 

The  first  planting  was  Early  Amber  seed,  supposed  to  be  pure,  and 
the  later  planting  of  Orange,  Sterling  Orange,  and  on  May  1<>  about  10 
acres  of  Link's  Hybrid. 

The  seed  was  put  in  either  with  a  planter  or  strewn  on  top  and  har- 
rowed. The  average  depth  of  planting  was  L>  inches.  It  was  found 
necessary  early  in  May  to  replant  some  of  the  Amber  which  had  been 
covered  to  a  depth  of  4  inches.  Owing  to  the  late  date  at  which  the 
building  was  begun  and  the  machinery  ordered,  the  factory  was  not 
ready  for  work  until  September  1.  The  first  cane  was  cut  August  L>4, 
and  regular  work  begun  September  0. 

The  seed  planted  for  pure  hand  picked  Early  Amber  proved  to  have 
been  a  mixture  of  Amber  and  Sterling  Orange.  In  consequence,  when 
the  Amber  was  read\  to  be  cut  and  worked,  the  Orange  mixed  with  it 
was  still  green,  showing  a  low  content  of  sucrose.  After  a  tew  days' 
work  it  was  decided  to  have  the  farmers  pick  out  the  best  of  the  Early 
Amber  in  the  field  and  condemn  the  remainder.  As  fully  one  half  of 
the  crop  of  the  supposed  Early  Amber  proved  to  be  this  Sterling 
Orange,  the  first  work  of  the  season  was  of  but  little  value,  and  no  at- 
tempt was  made  to  obtain  sugar,  all  of  the  cane  being  worked  for 
molasses. 

September  I  the  first  Early  Orange  cane  was  cut.  At  that  time,  al- 
though the  seed  was  hard  and  ripe,  the  content  of  sugar  in  the  cane 
was  not  neatly  as  uigh  as  the  same  variety  of  cane  showed  later  in  the 
season. 

The  Sterling  Orange  was  at  its  best  about  October  1,  and  the  Link's 
Hyluid  at  the  time  it  was  worked,  November  1. 

The  results  of  analyses  of  whole  canes  aie  recorded  in  Table  No.  1. 
The  canes  were  topped  and  stripped,  and  the  juice  expressed  by  means 
of  a,  small  hand  mill.  The  average  amount  of  sucrose  in  the  juice  u.is 
about  2.09  per  cent,  higher  than  the  average  of  any  crop  heretofore 
worked.     The    highest  percentage  was  found   in   sample   No.  162,  taken 

from  a  load  of  Sterling  Orange.    The  lowest  percentage  of  sucrose  was 

noted  in  two  sa m | ties  of  mixed  A u.bel  and  unripe  Orange,  ou  September 

4    and    September    10.      The    West    samples    taken    during    the    working 

season  were  Nos.  27  Amber.  352  Orange,  and  37*1  Link's  Hybrid.  The 
Amber  c.me  after  being  cut,  If  left   lying  for  any  leugt'j  of  time,  llcteri 

orated  rapidly,  as  shown  by  the  analysis  of  No,  20, 


76 

The  percentage  of  moisture  in  the  cane  during-  the  month  of  October 
decreased  rapidly,  and  the  same  quantity  by  weight  of  cane  yielded  only 
about  one-half  the  weight  of  juice  given  earlier  in  the  season.  The  dry- 
ness of  the  cane  was  also  noted  by  the  farmers,  as  their  loads  lost  several 
hundred  pounds  as  compared  with  the  same  sized  load  during  the  first 
part  of  the  work.  It  may  also  be  noted  that  the  cane  was  very  pithy. 
On  an  average,  one  out  of  every  five  stalks  contained  little  or  no  juice 
and  a  large  amount  of  fiber.  The  cane  cut  during  October,  a  great 
quantity  of  which  was  left  lying  from  two  to  three  days  at  a  time,  on 
account  of  delays  in  working,  did  not  deteriorate  to  any  great  extent. 
The  dryness  of  the  cane  again  probably  explains  this. 

After  the  factory  stopped,  a  number  of  samples  of  cane  was  taken 
for  the  purpose  of  determining  the  condition  of  the  still  outstanding- 
crop. 

Samples  Nos.  382  and  388  gave  the  highest  result  of  the  season.  An- 
other sample,  No.  383,  from  a  field  which  the  cane- grower  claimed  was 
the  poorest  out,  showed  a  high  percentage.  No.  378  was  from  a  field 
of  second  growth,  from  stubble.  On  November  4  some  25  tons  of  cane 
were  left  on  the  rack.  One  lot  was  selected  and  analyzed,  some  of  it 
put  into  a  silo.  A  sample  of  the  remainder,  tested  four  days  later, 
showed  that  there  had  been  no  deterioration  in  the  cane,  as  can  be  seen 
from  analyses  Xos.  38G  and  301.  This  cane  had  been  exposed  to  heavy 
frost,  snow,  and  thaw. 

Cane  taken  from  the  field  on  November  7,  and  again  from  the  same 
field  November  12,  showed  but  little  deterioration. 

The  average  percentage  of  sucrose  in  the  mill  juices  from  the  fresh 
chips  is  .3  per  cent,  higher  than  that  recorded  in  the  average  of  the 
whole  canes.  This  is  explained  by  noting  several  very  low  percentages 
of  sucrose  in  some  of  the  samples  of  whole  cane,  without  a  correspond- 
ing low  percentage  in  the  chips. 

Here  it  may  be  noted  that  in  taking  samples  of  fresh  and  exhausted 
chips,  as  also  of  diffusion  and  clarified  juices,  care  was  taken  to  secure 
comparative  samples.  The  battery  consisted  of  sixteen  cells,  but  only 
twelve  of  these  were  in  the  circuit  at  one  time.  The  fresh  chips  were 
taken  from  these  twelve  cells  and  the  exhausted  chips  from  the  same. 
The  juices  were  sampled  as  they  ran  into  the  defecators,  care  being 
taken  to  secure  t  hose  corresponding  to  the  fresh  chips.  The  samples  of 
Semi  Birap  were  taken  as  a  rule  once  every  I  welve  hours,  and  correspond 

approximately  to  the  juices  analyzed.     For  the  most  pari  two  sets  of 

samples  were  taken,  one  in  the  morning  and  the  other  in  the  afternoon. 

The  lowest  sucrose  and  highest  glucose  were  recorded  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  season.  The  highest  sucrose  of  the  season  was  noted  on 
October  L5,  and  lowest  glucose  on  October  26. 

The  average  percentage  of  sucrose  for  October  was  L3.22  and  glucose 
2.07.  Prom  September  ii<;  to  the  end  of  the  season  the  mill  juices  ap- 
peared to  be  unusually  rich.    The  average  for  October  was  ,8  per  cent 


77 

higher  than  the  average  for  the  entire  season.  This  is  2.88  per  cent, 
higher  than  the  average  at  Fort  Scott  in  1887.  As  noted  in  connection 
with  the  whole  canes,  the  dryness  may  partly  explain  this,  but  the  lo- 
cation and  soil  of  Conway  Springs  seem  to  be  especially  adapted  to  the 
growth  of  sorghum.  It  is  further  south  than  any  other  point  in  Kan- 
sas, where  sorghum  has  been  grown  and  the  season  appears  to  be  longer 
and  better  than  in  eastern  Kansas. 

The  mean  of  sucrose  in  diffusion  juices  is  higher  than  the  mean  at 
Fort  Scott  in  1887,  but  considerably  lower  than  would  be  expected  from 
the  analyses  of  the  chip  juices.  The  difference  may  be  accounted  for 
either  by  the  dryness  and  pithiness  of  the  canes,  as  just  mentioned,  or 
by  inversion  in  the  battery.  In  order  to  prevent  inversion,  if  any,  car- 
bonate of  lime  was  used  in  the  battery  for  a  time.  Although  the  acid 
was  neutralized  to  about  the  same  extent  as  at  Fort  Scott,  apparently 
inversion  was  not  prevented.  The  results  of  the  analyses  are  given  in 
Tables  12,  13,  and  14.  In  place  of  carbonate  of  lime  a  number  of  ex- 
periments were  made  with  caustic  lime.  The  lime  was  distributed  upon 
the  chips  as  they  passed  from  the  numerator  to  the  battery,  by  means  of 
a  roll,  about  1J  pounds  of  lime  being  added  to  each  cell. 

The  object  was  to  add  just  so  much  lime  to  the  chips  that  100  c.  c.  of 
the  juice  when  in  the  clarifiers  would  require  about  5  c.  c.  of  "0  alkali 
to  neutralize  it.  To  attain  this  exact  point  was  difficult  and  the  tables 
in  which  results  of  the  work  are  given  show  all  possible  variations. 
The  lime  as  sprinkled  on  the  chips  also  neutralized  the  aeid  in  the  mill 
juice,  as  may  be  seen  from  tin'  table. 


Glucose. 

Sucrose. 

In  the  mil!  juices  treated  with  lime 
the  proportions  were 

1 

l 

1 

1 

5.0 

1    !l 

S.3 

In  diffusion  jui<  i  - 

In   juices  u  ii  limit  lime 

If  we  note  samples  183  and  LS4  on  October  5,  there  appears  to  have 
been  no  inversion  whatever.  On  several  other  days  the  apparent  in- 
version was  luii  slight  It  may  he  mentioned  further  thai  on  those 
days  on  which  little  or  no    inversion  was  noted,  tin-  percentage  <>f 

jrlucose  in  the   mill    juice  was  bigb,  and  the  amount    of  juice  given   by 

tin'  cane  .is  taken  from  records  of  weight  of  juice  wasabove  the  aver- 
age lor  the  season.    The  average  number  of  cubic  centimeters  ,',',  alkali 

required  to  neutralize  the  acid  in  the  juices  was  H>.<;. 

Sol nls  iii  null  juice 19.39 

Solids  in  diffusion  juice 1 

19.39  :  lL'.'.t!>  :•    10.0  :  \. 
Normal  acidity  of  the  diffusion  juice 

That  is  considerably  higher  than  the  aciditj  of  juices  fouud  at  Fort 
Scott,  average  of  which  was  L9.98. 


78 

The  highest  per  cent,  of  sucrose  for  the  season  in  the  diffusion  juice 
was  noted  September  29,  10.0:2  per  cent.,  being  L'.oO  percent,  above  the 
average.  The  corresponding  mill  juice  for  the  same  date  was  14.9:*  per 
cent,  sucrose,  2.5  above  the  average,  showing  that  fair  comparative 
samples  had  been  secured. 

The  average  during  October  was  8.59  per  cent,  sucrose,  1.74  per  cent, 
glucose,  better  than  the  results  obtained  at  Lawrence,  La.,  bearing  in 
mind  the  fact  that  the  sugar  cane  has  less  glucose.  The  purity  of  the 
diffusion  juices  was  lower  than  that  of  the  mill  juices  from  the  chips. 
This  is  due  probably  to  inversion  in  the  battery. 

The  column  headed  "  extraction"  in  table  12  is  given  for  the  purpose 
of  noting  to  what  extent,  if  any,  the  extraction  was  diminished  by  the 
use  of  lime  in  the  battery.  If  we  compare  the  several  instances  of  es- 
pecially low  extraction,  Nos.  24G,  291,  and  361,  with  the  corresponding 
acidity,  we  will  note  that  either  lime  was  in  excess  or  the  percentage  of 
sucrose  for  the  day  was  high,  without  a  corresponding  change  having 
been  made  in  working  the  battery,  and  in  the  amount  drawn  off.  Octo- 
ber 15, 

In  mill  juice  there  were 8.4  ]);uts  glucose  to  100  parts  sucrose 

In  diffusion  juice  there  -were 10.5  parts  glucose  to  100  parts  sucrose 

October  5  and  25,  with  acidity  9,  the  proportions  in  the  two  juices  cor- 
responded closely. 

The  table  shows,  then,  that  the  lime,  unless  in  excess,  did  not  inter- 
fere with  the  extraction. 

Record  was  kept  during  the  entire  season  of  the  amounts  of  sucrose 
and  glucose  left  in  the  chips.  The  highest  percentage  of  sucrose  in  the 
mill  juices  from  these  was  noted  at  the  end  of  the  season,  November  2, 
being  2.91  percent.  The  average  extraction  for  the  entire  season  was 
88.72  percent,  of  the  sugar  in  the  cane.  This  is  a  poor  extraction,  being 
fully  4.1  percent,  lower  than  the  extraction  at  Fort  Scott  in  1887.  The 
average  dilution  tor  the  season  was  11.5.-)  per  cent.  From  the  first  of  the 
season  to  October  15,  L60  gallons  were  drawn  off  each  time.    From  that 

date  till  the  Close  Of  the  season  ISO  gallons.      Each  cell  held  1 ,100  pounds 

chips.     Deducting  l()  percent  for  fiber, we  Lave  1,260  pouuds juice  in 

each  coll. 

Average  weigh!  ol  juice  drawn  fi  <>m  first  ol  season  to  October  15  —  pounds..  1,349 

From  then  till  close  of  season do —  1,513 

Mean  I5i  i\  from  Sept  em  her  ii  to  October  15: 

In  mill  juices 18.93 

In  diffusion  .juices L&06 

<  October  i">  to  November  2 1 

Hill  juices 20.  io 

Diffusion  juices 12.55 

I  >ilut  ion  from  September  6  to  October  15 per  cent ..  6. 50 

Dilution  from  October  r>  t<>  olose  <>r  season <l<>  —  1<>. 60 

The  poor  extraction  was  due  partly  to  the  large  chips  furnished  by 

the  small  cutlers  daring  a   portion  of  the  season,   to  ihe  irregularity  in 

working,  bat  chiefly  to  the  small  quantity  of  juice  drawn  offj  all  points 


: 


79 

which  might  Lave  been  more  carefully  noted  and  tbe  loss  avoided.  As 
the  dilution,  if  moderate,  is  of  small  importance,  the  object  should  be  to 
get  all  or  as  nearly  all  as  possible  of  the  sugar  from  the  cane. 

The  purity  of  the  defecated  juices,  Table  IV,  is  1.5  points  higher  than 
tbe  diffiusion  juices,  due  to  a  little  destruction  of  glucose  in  the  elari- 
fiers.  The  table  shows  iu  addition  that  there  was  no  inversion  in  the 
clarifiers.  The  scum  from  the  defecators  was,  as  is  usual,  about  as 
rich  in  sugar  as  the  juices  themselves.  These  scums  were  (brown  into 
the  ditch,  thus  entailing  a  loss  of  sugar  which  could  and  should  have 
been  avoided  by  returning  them  to  the  battery. 

For  the  purpose  of  comparing  the  readings  of  the  Brix  spindle  with 
the  actual  total  solids  obtained  by  drying  and  weighing,  a  number  of 
determinations  were  made. 

liectangular  flat  platinum  dishes  three  eighths  inch  in  depth  were 
used  and  the  samples  dried  for  five  hours  at  100°  C.  The  samples  were 
weighed  from  a  tared  flask,  about  2  grams  being  taken  in  each  instance. 
Duplicates  were  always  made.  The  use  of  asbestus  as  an  absorbent 
agent  in  drying  was  also  tested.  A  thin  layer  of  loose  asbestus  was 
placed  in  the  bottom  of  the  dish,  and  the  sample  dried  at  and  for  the 
same  length  of  time  as  those  samples  where  the  dish  alone  was  used. 

The  average  of  these  results  in  the  case  of  mill  juices  gives  the 
solids  1.4G  per  cent,  less,  and  with  asbestus  as  1.66  per  cent.  less,  than 
the  average  of  the  spindle  readings.  These  results  are  fully  1  per  cent 
lower  than  those  recorded  by  Dr.  Cramp  ton  at  Fort  Scott  in  1887,  but 
agree  closely  with  results  obtained  at  Douglas,  Kans.,  and  at  the  De- 
partment this  year.  In  the  case  of  the  diffusion  juices,  the  dish  alone 
gave  1.25  percent,  solids  less,  and  dish  with  asbestus  1.40  per  cut.  less, 
than  the  direct  readings  of  the  spindle.  Correcting  the  percentage  of 
sugar  on  this  basis,  in  the  mill  juices  it  would  be  .11  per  cent,  higher, 
and  in  the  diffusion  juices  .05  per  cent.  The  purity  is  also  largely  in- 
creased by  calculating  on   the  weight  of  actual  solids. 

It  may  again  be  remarked  here,  as  was  stated  in  1887,  the  use  of  the 
lirix  spindles  standardized  for  pure  solutions  of  BUgar  give  misleading 
result8,  and  the  solids  as  determined  by  direct   drying  should  be  relied 

on.  As  might  be  expected,  the  samples  where  asbesl us  \\ as  used  gave 
(results  slightly  lower  than  those  without,  and  it  may  be  stated  further 
that  the  duplicates  with  asbestus  agreed  more  closely.  The  nsbestllfl 
furnishes  a  larger  drying  surlaee.  and  less  moisture  is  retained  than  is 
the  case  with  a  thick  film  of  the  sirup.  The  asbestus  should,  then,  be 
preferred  to  the  plain  dish. 

The  average  ratio  of  glucose  to  sucrose  in  the  semi-sirups  is  Blightly 
higher  than  that  in  the  defecated   juices: 


• 

- 



1 

- 

80 

Tin's  difference  is  due  either  to  error  of  experiment  or  to  the  equal- 
izing effect  of  large  quantities  of  juice  or  to  a  slight  inversion  in  the 
double-effect  vacuum  pan. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  this,  as  it  is  the  first  time  that  the  Lillie  patent 
has  ever  been  used  as  a  double  effect,  It  is  true,  the  pan  gave  a  great 
deal  of  trouble  and  caused  a  great  deal  of  delay  during  the  working 
season.  This  was  due,  first,  to  the  fact  that  the  pumps  put  in  to  keep 
up  the  circulation  of  the  juice,  viz,  rotary  pumps,  were  not  suited  to  the 
work,  and  secondly  and  chiefly,  because  the  effect  had  been  hurriedly 
and  carelessly  put  up  by  inexperienced  workmen.  At  the  close  of  the 
season  centrifugal  pumps  were  substituted  for  therotaries  and  the  pan 
thoroughly  overhauled  by  an  engineer  from  Philadelphia,  and  it  then 
gave  satisfaction.  The  inside  of  the  juice-tubes  became  rapidly  coated 
with  a  hard  scale,  which  necessitated  their  being  cleaned  every  four  or 
five  days.  This  scale  was  due  principally  to  the  mineral  water,  which 
will  be  referred  to  in  another  connection. 

The  first  sugar  made  was  grained  in  the  wagons.  The  grain  was 
small,  and  as  it  had  been  allowed  to  stand  for  a  considerable  length  of 
time  and  become  cold,  it  was  difficult  to  free  it  in  the  centrifugals  from 
the  gummy  matters.  Table  No.  7  gives  the  polarization  of  this  prod- 
uct. All  of  it  was  reboiled  and  used  for  enriching  the  semi  sirups, 
hence  the  high  purity  and  increased  percentage  of  sucrose  in  the  masse 
cuites  and  molasses  over  and  above  the  semi-sirups.  The  samples  of 
the  masse  cuites  were  taken  from  the  mixer,  and  the  samples  of  molasses 
taken  from  time  to  time  from  the  storage  tanks  and  barrels  give  the 
average  composition  of  this  product  for  the  season.  The  purity  of  the 
molasses  from  tin'  enriched  sirups  is  higher  than  the  purity  of  the  semi- 
sirups  at  Fori  Scott  in  1887,  but  as  the  molasses  could  be  disposed  of, 
it  was  considered  more   profitable  to  sell  it  than  to  work  it  lor  seconds. 

The  water  from  the  well  proved  upon  examination  to  be  highly 
charged  with  mineral  matter,  containing  .'IIS  grains  to  the  gallon.  This 
was  chiefly  gypSUUl,  together  with  some  little  magnesium  sulphate  and 
sodium  chloride.  A  10  per  cent,  solution  of  sugar  prepared  with  this 
water  and  evaporated  to  a  thick  sirup  showed  no  more  inversion  than 
a  solution  of  the  same  strength  made  up  with  distilled  water  and  eva  po- 
inted. The  addition  of  acetate  of  lime  to  the  solution  had  no  inverting 
act  ion. 

The  watei  gave  particular  trouble  in  the  boilers,  forming  rapidly  a 
hc.i\\  scale.  Tin*  want  of  proper  cleaning  in  the  early  part  of  the  sea- 
si  hi  caused  burning  of  the  boilers  on  November  A  and  stopped  the  work. 
The  latter  pari  of  the  season  the  vapor  water  w  as  run  into  a  pond  and 
used  for  diffusion  purposes.  This  water  was  strongly  acid,  due  to  the 
decomposition  Of  organic  matter,  and  not  much  of  an  improvement  on 
the  well  water.  On  account  of  the  foaming  it  was  diflicult  also  to  use 
it   in  t  lie  lioilei  ^. 

In    the   few  samples    of  masse  cuite    not    enriched    the    proportion  of 


81 

sucrose  to  glucose  was  about  the  same  as  in  the  semi-sirups,  showing 
that  there  was  not  auy  inversion  in  the  strike-pan. 

The  percentage  of  ash  found  in  the  masse  cuite  is  1.5  per  cent,  and 
in  the  molasses  1  per  cent,  higher  than  the  average  found  at  Fort 
Scott  in  18S7.  This  we  may  fairly  attribute  to  the  large  amount  of 
gypsum  in  the  water.  After  pond  water  was  substituted  for  the  well 
■rater,  except  on  one  or  two  days  when  lime  in  the  battery  was  in 
excess,  the  corresponding  percentage  of  ash  was  diminished. 

The  indirect  readings  of  sucrose  are  either  lower  or  correspond  closely 
with  the  direct  readings.  This  points  to  a  large  amount  of  starch  in 
the  juices,  which  will  further  explain  the  high  readings  in  the  mill 
juices  and  apparent  inversion  in  the  battery.  The  solids  not  sugar  arc 
also  higher  than  heretofore  noted;  also  to  be  attributed  to  starchy  and 
gummy  matter. 

The  proportion  of  glucose  to  sucrose  in  the  molasses  is  about  1 :  3. 
This  high  ratio  is  doubtless 'due  to  mineral  and  organic  matters  (not 
sugar)  present,  which,  while  not  causing  inversion,  prevent  crystalliza- 
tion. Further,  the  sugar  boiler  was  troubled  with  gummy  matter  in 
the  strike  pan,  and  the  masse  cuite  was  very  gummy  in  the  centrifugals. 
On  several  occasions  quite  a  quantity  of  white  gummy  matter  was  taken 
out  by  the  proof  stick.  This  fully  explains  why  such  a  large  proportion 
of  sucrose  was  left  in  the  molasses.  The  analysis  of  sample  122  shows 
proportion  of  glucose  to  sucrose  1 :  l.G.  This  sample  was  from  the  first 
lot  of  mixed  cane  worked,  which  contained  but  little  sucrose. 

The  percentage  of  albuminoids  in  the  juices  from  fresh  chips  is  high. 
The  per  cent,  in  diffusion  juice  is  .25  lower,  and  in  clarified  juices  .01 
less  than  in  diffusion,  showing  that  the  defecation  had  removed  a  com- 
paratively small  proportion  of  the  albuminoids. 

The  figures  show  further  that  the  cane  contained  an  unusually  la  rue 
amount  of  fiber  and  organic  matter  not  sugars,  which  went  into  the 
diffusion  juice.  This  further  accounts  for  the  large  amount  of  gummy 
matter  in  the  strike  pan,  and,  together  with  the  large  amount  of  mineral 
matter,  explains  the  low  yield  of  sugar  from  the  rich  cane. 

The  color  of  the  sugars  was  a  grayish  yellow,  and  rated  on  the  mar- 
ket as  a  little  better  than  ('  brown.     The  grain  was  large  and  firm. 

The  mean  polarization  of  raw  gummy  sugars  was  82.52, and  of  first 
sugars  90.80. 

•  The   following  is  the    record  of  the  number  of  tons  of  cane    worked, 
sugar  and  molasses  made  : 
Total  uumber  of  tons  of  cane  passed  over  tin  

Of  this  430.5  tons  were  Early  Amber,  mixed  with  unripe  Sterling 
Orange. 

Two  thousand  five  hundred  and  .sixty  and  five  tenths  ton 8  were  chiefly 

Qrange,  with  a  small  quantity  of  Link's  1 1  \  brid.    The  estimated  average 
tonnage  per  acre  is  L0;  the  highest   tonnage,  L3.5  per  acre.     l'wciitv- 
flve  tons  were  left  on  the  cane  rack  when  work  stopped,  so  that  the 
U050— Bull,  20 G 


82 

ual  number  of  tons  of  cane  worked  was  2,966,  and  tons  worked  for 
Bngar  2,535.5.     Tons  of  cane  for  molasses  only,  430.5.     Deducting  25  per 

cent,  for  leaves  and  seed,  we  have  2,225  tons  of  cleaned  cane. 

Total  number  of  cells  filled  from  September  1'2  to  close 'J, 730 

Number  of  pounds  of  chips  in  each  cell 1,400 

Total  number  of  pounds  of  chips  in  cells  (1,800  tons) :>,  7"J"J,  000 

Number  of  tons  of  cleaned  cane  from  .September  12  to  close 1,001 

Making  a  difference  of  41  tons  unaccounted  for,  some  of  which  was 
thrown  out  by  the  fan  and  from  the  drag.  The  remainder  can  be  at- 
tributed to  lost  records,  which  were  inissing  lor  several  days'  work. 

Yield  of  s u (jar. 

Total  number  of  pounds  of  sugar 100,  ">00 

(J  a  lions  of  molasses ^. 36,000 

There  was  left  on  hand  at  close  of  season  one  tankful  of  semi  sirup, 
equal  to  GOO  gallons  of  molasses.  This  makes  average  yield  of  sugar 
j)er  ton  of  field  cane,  estimated  oil  the  cane  actually  worked  for  sugar, 
39,2  pounds,  and  on  cleaned  cane  52.8  pounds.  The  quantity  of  molas- 
ses made  per  ton  of  cleaned  cane  was  14  gallons,  or,  estimating  the 
sugar  on  total  number  of  tons  of  cane  cut  during  the  season,  we  have 
45.1  pounds  per  ton  of  cleaned  cane.  Two  trial  runs  were  made  during 
the  season.  The  first  4G.0  tons  gave  3,980.5  pounds  sugar  and  0,580 
gallons  molasses,  equal  to  So  pounds  sugar  and  20  gallons  molasses  per 
ton.  The  second  trial  run  gave  90  pounds  sugar  and  10  gallons  of 
molasses  per  ton  on  a  run  of  GO  tons. 

During  the  season  there  were  lost  by  carelessness  4,800  gallons  of 
semi-sirup  and  7,200  gallons  of  juice,  corresponding  to  about  100  tons 
of  cane.  The  battery  soured  twice  and  was  drawn  oil*  twenty-eight 
times,  causing  a  loss  of  192  cells  of  chips  of  L,400  pounds  each,  equal  to 
l.ll  tons  <>f  cane.  Deducting,  then,  234  tons  from  the  number  of  tons 
worked  for  sugar,  we  have  1,007  tons  of  cleaned  cane,  with  an  average  of 
oi).2  pounds  sugar  per  ion. 

From  each  ton  it  was  estimated  that  2  bushels  of  seed  and  200  pounds 
ol*  leaves   were   obtained.      'flic   seed   was   carefully    hand-picked    and 

thrashed,  so  that  this  product  will  prove  very  valuable. 

The  total  number  of  days'  actual  work,  counting  each  day  at  twenty- 
two  hours,  was  thirty.  By  that  we  mean  that  the  number  of  hour: 
(luring  which  the  cutter  actually  worked  would  be  equal  to  thirty  da\; 
of  twenty-two  hours  each.  If  a  factory  is  substantially  built,  tin 
machinery  strong  and  every  bolt  in  its  place,  there  is  no  reason  w  h\ 
there  should  not  he  a  steady  yearly  run  of  ninety  days,  full  time.  Dur- 
ing the  working  season  every  hour's  delay  is  so  much  money  lost,  and 
asngar  factory  should  run  as  smoothly  as  a  grist  mill.     It  is  a  question 

of  practical  mechanics,  Which  a  good  machinist  can  handle. 

With  a  number  of  changes  in  the  factory  the  Conway  Springs  mill 

can  be  made  a  success.     The  Cound  at  ions  of  the  heavy  machinery  should 
!><•  replaced;    the  battery  put  in  straight  line  and  elevated,  so   that    the 


83 

chips  could  be  removed  by  means  of  a  car;  two  large  cutters  should 
be  ready  for  use  ill  place  of  one;  also  two  macerators.  Three  additional 
boilers  are  needed,  another  engine,  two  more  claritiers,  a  large  storage 
tank  for  the  molasses,  and  more  sugar  wagons  and  storage  room,  and, 
above  all.  a  good  water  supply,  which  may  with  care  be  secured  in  the 
neighborhood. 

With  these  improvements,  with  cane  of  the  same  quality  as  was 
worked  this  year,  and  careful  management,  a  great  success  may  be  se- 
cured at  Conway  Springs  during  another  season. 

Table  I. — Mill  juices  from  whole  canes. 


Date. 


No. 


Total 
solids  by 
I'.iix  at 


Baume. 


navify.    Sucrose.    Glucose. 


/*.  r  r.  nt. 

' 

1 

S.  ptember  4  . . 

3 

15.38 

F.  50 

1.6630 

Sepfo  oiber  4  . 

4 

18.50 

10.10 

1.0700 

13.  95 



September  4  . 

5 

16.06 

8.96 

9.  50 



September  1  . 
September  (i  . 

8 

15.56 

8.  66 

1.  0634 

8.47 

•J 

18  81 

16.  56 

1.0783 

10.48 

"4.7*2 

mber  8  . . 

21 

18.21 

10.10 

1.6753 

12.30 

3.21 

67.  43 

September  8 

22 

16.31 

9.  00 

1.0GG9 

10.30 

3.  26 

63.  1 5 

September  1" 

24 

18.  91 

16.56 

1.6783 

5.00 

6.06 

20.41 

mber  lo  . 

25 

16.07 

8.  !»0 

11.73 

3.  35 

72.  99 

September  1" 

- 

21.07 

12.26 

1.0918 

11.43 

7.88 

September  lo 

n 

18.  62 

10.30 

1.0770 

14.32 

L28 

September  10 

28 

17.21 

9.  50 

1.07(9 

8.98 

4.19 

52.  1 7 

September  1 1  . 

33 

17.  62 

9.90 

1.0735 

11.90 

2.31 

00.  78 

Septembi  r  12 . 

34 

18.44 

10.  20 

1.0761 

11.44 

3.  12 

September  1  i 

48 

16  50 

9.10 

1.01)78 

11.54 

2.  27 

September  10  . 

59 

17.40 

9.  (JO 

1.0717 

12.07 

2' 10 

71.(3 

ii)(  r  17  . 

61 

10  -jo 

1.  0761 

10.  61 

5.  51 

September  1* 

(9 

18.81 

10.40 

1.0771* 

11  t0 

•  1.  20 

74.  90 

September  20  . 

- 

16.16 

1.0753 

16.80 

3.  43 

59.21 

iber  23 

114 

18.51 

16.26 

1.  0760 

1.39 

September  27  . 

l:.:; 

16.22 

1.  0766 

12.5o 

1  58 

October  l  ... 

16*2 

22.  16 

12.30 

16.67 

2.  10 

October  1  . . . 

163 

-   U 

10.40 

1.0781 

2.79 

October  \  ... 

178 

12. 10 

1.0918 

3.30 

61.92 

October  LO.... 

226 

]«.).  12 

16.66 

1.6792 

2.00 

71.65 

October  lo  .. 

227 

17.82 

9.90 

1.  0735 

13.  lo 

1.  12 

73.  51 

Octobi  r  16  .. 

201 

11.20 

13.9ft 

69.07 

28 1 

26.  in 

11.36 

1.  0850 

13.63 

1.91 

60.  M 

■  :    31     -- 

352 

11.40 

14.58 

70.71 

XoV.IiiImi  '_' 

19.29 

16.70 

• 

1.43 

iber  2. . . 

367 

15.22 

l.o  21 

7.  20 

2    13 

47.  70 

Noyember3  .. 

309 

7.51 

1 .  5  I 

Nov.  tuber 3  . . 

874 

8.  26 

November  5. . . 

875 

L7.63 

9.  75 

1.6726 

1.65 

Novembers  .. 

878 

11.86 

li  69 

2.  14 

72.  15 

November  ">  . . 

15.  16 

1.0017 

iber  5... 

- 

11.26 

15.28 

1.15 

Nuvembei  '< 

20.  en 

11.  16 

11   9", 

.77 

Novembei  5... 

26.26 

11.20 

LI  341 

1.21 

iberO. .. 

19  06 

It   2'. 

1.51 

ber  7  . 

16.67 

8.25 

1 1 .  89 

1.67 

November 7  .. 

17   i  7 

1 .  88 

November  7  . 

17  -7 

l  00 

71   71 

Iiei  7 

19  27 

16  7o 

15.  11 

Nov.  mil.  i  10 

1  0744 

71.  15 

November  L2 

Maxima  . 

18.  17 

10.  1.1 

1.075: 

1.61 

22.16 

12.36 

10  07 

7  88 

Means   .. 

in  in 

12.  14 

M   iiiiua 

7  16 

77 

84 

D(8cripHon  of  samples  of  whole  cane 


3.  Amber  and  unripe  Sterling  Orange  m ix<  d. 

4.  Early  Amber  from  cane-shed. 

5.  Unripe  Sterling  Orange,  solccted  stocks. 

6.  Unripe    Sterling   Orange,    Buckered   upper 

joint. 
9.  Amber  and  Sterling  Orange  mixed,  cut  and 
lying  in  shed  for  two  days. 

21.  Cane  from  shed,  mixed  lot. 

22.  Orange  from  field. 

21.  Mixed  lot  from   shed,  cut  forty-eight   hours; 

green. 
25.  Orange  cane  from  field. 
20.  Early  Amtx  r  from  wagon. 

27.  Early  Amber  from  field  of  MTr.  Troeger. 

28.  ••  Southern  Red  "  from  field. 

33.  Early  Amber,  average  from  ten  loads. 

34.  Cane  from  shed. 
48.  Cane  from  shed. 

59.  Orange  cane  from  shed,  cut  and  lying  forty- 

eight  bonis. 
01.  Sterling  Orange  from  wagon. 
09.  Early  Amber  from  load   brought  in  by  Troe- 

gt  ■  r. 
?6.  Orange  earn-  from  shed. 
1 14.  Orange  cane  from  field. 
133.  Links  Hybrid  from  wagon. 
162.  Sterling  Orange  from  wagon. 
16!.  Sterling  Orange,  average  from  three  loads. 
178.  Oranjre  from  shed,  lying  forty-eight  hours. 
226.  Orange  from  shed  and  wagons,  average  1<  t 
lying  forty  eight  hours. 


227. 
26L 
281. 

352. 

358. 
307. 
369. 
374 

375. 

378. 
379. 
380. 

382. 
383. 

381. 

385. 

386. 

387. 

-- 
391. 


392. 


Links  Hybrid  from  field. 
Lot  of  badly  Buckered  Orange  cane  from  shed. 
Cane  from  shed,  lying  thirty-six  hours. 
Orange  cane  avenge,  late  planting  gave  but 

little   juice. 

Orange  cane  from  shed  after  first  frost. 

Links  Hybrid  trom  shed:  red  pith. 

Links  Hybrid  from  shed. 

Links  Hybrid  from  Bhed;  good  load. 

Cane    from     Bhed,    chiefly    Orange,    lying 

twenty-four  hours. 
Orange  cane  from  field,  second  growt    . 
Orange  cane  from  field,  red  pith. 
Orange  cane  from   field  of  J.  11.  Duncan; 

avei  age  lot  left  tun  ut. 
Orange  cane  from  field  of  J.  S.  Clark. 
Orange  cane  from  field  said  to  be  the  poorest 

field  out. 
Orange  cane  from  shed,  put  in  silo  November 

0,  covered  \\  ith  2  to  3  feet  ground 
Orange  cane  from  shed  from  same  lot  as  put 

in  Bllo  November  8  ;   cane  from  top  of  pile 
Orange  cane  from    shed  from  same  lot  B8  put 

in  silo  November  6  ;  average  sample. 
Orange  cane  from  field  of  L.  Berrj-. 
Orange  cane  from  field  of  Hanna* 
Oraoge  cane  from  same  lot  as  put  in  silo,   ly- 
ing in  shed  eight   days  exposed  to  heavy 

frost,  snow  and  thaw. 
Orange  c  me  Irora  field  of  llanua,  from  same 

plat  as  >«'o.  388. 


85 


Table  II.  —  Mill  juices  from  fresh  chips. 


T, 


Date. 


No.       Baume, 


her  C. 
September  7. 
September  7. 
September  lo 
September  12 
September  12 
September  13 
S<  j»i  >ii)>ier  14 
September  15 
September  17 
September  18 
s  -ptomticr  is 
September  lit 
Septombci  20 

September  21 
September  2.' 
September  22 
September  2\ 
September  24 
s.  pt ember  2C 
Septet] 

iiber  27 
Septcmbci  28 
Septei 
Septerabei  29 

i  iber  30 
September  ■,< 
October  2. 

Octuhei 

October  5 

Octob  i  5  ... 
Octolx  : 
October  a  ... 
October  8 

October  9 

October  11  .. 
i  11... 
Octob 

October  13... 
October  15  .. 

:    17    .. 

■   18 . . . 
Octob 

i   19... 

r  19  .. 
Octobi 

October  20. . . 
Octol  ■ 
Octolx  ■ 
Octob 

October  24  . . 
Octob 
Octobi 
Octob  • 
October  27  .. 
I 

October  29  .. 
I 

bcr  1  . 
ber  2  . 

..   T  2    . 

iber  3  . 


'otal 
soli<Ks  "by     Spei  ific 
Brix        'gravity. 

at  15.5-. 


103 

107 
111 
110 
124 
128 
131 

143 

147 

158 
105 
171 
17'-. 
179 
183 

195 

_ 

211 

2IG 

230 

:■:;» 

241 
25 

276 

277 

.- 

• 
313 

::i7 


10.80 

10.  50 

it  7 
10.  50 
10.  50 

0.  90 

9.  90 
10.  20 
9.  no 

8.  90 
9.90 

10.10 
"" 

9.2". 

D.  7.". 
10.50 

9.50 

9.  75 
10.50 
11.45 
lu.  70 
10.  00 

10  00 
11.30 

•■ 

10.85 

In.  90 
'       _ 
11.30 
ll.Oi 

ll.Oi 
10.50 
11.95 
10.  CO 
12.55 
11.70 

12.20 
11.70 
11.. -o 
12.05 

12.20 

11.10 

11.70 

11  40 

lass 

11.40 
11.40 

11.40 


Highest 

I 


Per  cent. 
19.47 

17.80 

17.54 
18.94 

17.87 

17.50 

17.  7ti 
18.44 
10.24 

io.  n 

17.84 
18.19 
17.0>; 
10. 78 
17.62 

1-.  91 
17.21 
17.64 
18.98  ! 
-  ! 
19.35 
19.24 
19.12 

19.4  1 

19.25 

19.08 

18.  19 

18.78 
19.80 

21.20 

22.10 

20.81 
21.81 

18.40 

21.23 

19.37 

21.43 


1.0783 

1.  0700 
1.0722 

- 

1.0726 
1.0730 
1.076J 

1.0005 
1.0  GOO 
1.0735 

"■ 
1.0726 
1 .  (  091 
1.0720 

"■ 

1 .  0726 

1.  0-01 
1.0792 

" 

1.0815 
1.0766 

1.0-55 

- 

— 
L0779 

■ 

1.1914 
1.0923 
1.0914 

1.0701 

1.0726 

1.070.; 

1.0775 


Sucrose. 


Per  cent 
0.  3G 

8.  93 

9.04 

11.93 
12.05 
12.51 
10.30 

10.73 
8.05 

1 1 .  22 
lo.90 

9.08 
11.14 

9.  34 

'"ii.49 

9.  05 
10.89 
12.71 
13.47 
12.78 

I  :.:.l 
12.79 
14.  92 

13.  Gi 

13.25 

12.  8 1 
12.47 
30.97 
13  97 

12.50 

11.97 
13.28 
12.45 
lo.75 
10.05 

14.14 
14.24 

14.31 

13.37 
12.47 

II  96 
11.:" 
12.96 
12.19 
1141 

• 

11  29 
12.91 
14.49 
14.01 

■ 


Glucose 


Per  cent 

7.10 
0.34 
5.  07 

2.  97 
2.43 
.  - 
•    '- 

3.  4.' 
4.36 
2.  lo 

2.  37 

4.  03 
4.11 
_    ■ 

3.  62 
3.  11 
3.  02 
2.34 
2.51 

2.  92 

-  - 

2  30 
1.18 
1.80 
L81 

1.73 
1.01 
3.02 

3.  00 
2.  49 
_     _ 

-  M 
2.  31 
2.  94 
2.86 
2.  4  1 

2.  77 

3.  91 

1. 2d 

2.91 

2.01 

1.21 

1.48 

1.48 

1.2!  I 

1.38 

1.74 

1.34 
1.25 

1.42 

1.41 


^i'lT      P-"    • 


Per  cent. 


,  0503 


C183 


■ 


- 


7313 


- 


12.42 


2   61 


47.07 

55.  4 ! 

0 1  98 

70.00 

4:.  i--i 

67.  53 

51.20 
61   24 

- 


01.73 
07.  12 

To  22 

■       ■ 

70.31 

01.70 
07.22 

65.  24 


86 

Table  III. — Diffusion  juices. 


Date. 


September  3 . . 
September  t; . . 
September  7  . 
September  iu  . 
September  12  . 
September  12 
September  13  . 
September  14  . 
September  15 . 
September  17  . 
September  18  . 
September  19 
September  20  . 
September  21  . 
September  21 . 
September  22  . 
September 22 
September  24 . 
September  24  . 
September  26  . 
September  27  . 
September  27. 
September  28  . 
September  29 . 
September  29  . 
September  30 
September  30  . 

October 'J 

October  2 

October  2 

October  S 

October  5 

October*] 

October  6 

October  H.... 
October  8.... 
October   9... 

October  11   

October  11  .... 

October  12.... 
October  i:: .... 

October  15 

October  17  .... 

October  18... 

October  L8.... 
October  lit  .. 
October  20.... 
October 22  ... 

October  23 

October  23  .... 
October  24.... 
Octobi  i  24    . . 
October  26... 
October  26  .... 
October  '-'7  . . . 
October  27  ... 
Octobei  29   , 
Octob 
Octolx  i  :  0 
Octob  i 
\o\  ember  l , , 
November  2 
November  2. . 
Novembi  i  3 


No. 


Baume. 


100 
10t 
108 
113 
118 
125 
129 
135 
13!) 
145 
148 
155 
159 
166 
169 
173 
180 
184 
192 
197 
207 
212 
217 
232 
235 
240 
246 
255 
264 
269 
273 
278 
284 
288 
293 
297 
806 
309 
315 
819 

827 

333 
336 
B42 
850 

301 
864 

371 


Maxima 
Minima 


Total 
solids  by    Specific 
Brix  at      gravity. 

15.5°.     | 


Sucrose.    Glucose. 


Alburui- 
uoitls. 


Purity. 


39 

6.80 

45 

7.80 

52 

6.  05 

57 

7.00 

62 

7.60 

72 

6.40 

77 

6.55 

89 

7.65 

94 

7.  30 

6.30 
8.15 
6.70 
7.30 
7.  50 
80 
80 
05 
00 
60 

to 

55 
65 
30 

7.  30 

6.  4  I 
().  70 
6  80 
7.00 

7.  05 
7.  50 
6.90 
7.10 

7.  65 

8.  15 
7.50 
7.60 
7.  50 
7.  50 
7.  60 
7.60 
7.70 
8.20 
7.40 
7.60 
7.  50 
7.50 
7.65 

7.  90 
7.05 

8.  30 
7.  65 
7.60 
7.tid 
7.80 
7.80 

7.  60 
7.00 
0.  00 
6.  30 

6.  30 

7.  06 

6.  90 

7.  20 
7.05 

6.  7ii 

(i.  20 

7.40 

7.  05 
6.  20 
6.  M 


11.30 
14.08 
12.08 
13.11 
13.52 
12.22 
14.14 

10.  90 
12.60 
13.77 
11.64 
11.85 
13.85 
13.  13 
13.  12 
11.48 
12.00 
12.  24 
12.60 
12.70 
13.58 
12.42 

12.  77 
13.85 
14.71 
13.50 

13.  67 
13.  50 
13.64 

13.  67 
13.65 
13.94 

1 1.  82 

13.38 

13.68 
13.64 
13.53 
13.85 
14.34 
12.70 

14.  90 
13.79 
13.(57 

13.  67 
14.07 

14.  05 
13.72 

1 2.  65 
L0.78 

11.43 

11.  11 

12.  75 
L2.28 

12.  68 

12.08 
13.19 

11.22 
12.18 
13.41 
12.72 
11.13 
12.  17 


7.  20 


1.0135 
1.0600 
1.  0485 
1. 0531 
1.  0548 
1. 0493 
1.0574 
1.  0439 
1.0510 
1.0610 
1.0468 
1. 0476 
1.0561 
1.0531 
1.0531 
1.  0464 
1.  0485 
1.0-93 
1.0510 
1.0514 
1 . 05*3 
1.0502 
1.0514 
1.0561 
1.0K00 
1.0548 
1.0553 
1.0548 
1 .  0558 
1.  0555 
1.0655 
1.0500 
1.  0«04 
L.0544 
1.0557 
1 . 0553 
1  0r'50 
1.  05<i4 
1.0S83 
1.0514 

1.0  «09 
1.0501 

1.0553 

l  0565 

1.0574 
1. 0572 
1.0557 
1.0512 

l.n'34 

1.  0*59 
1.0614 
1.0*97 
1.0502 
1.0531 
1. 0514 
1.0186 

1. 1  580 
l  0461 
1.0493 
1.0644 
1.0514 
L.0447 
1.0600 


[.0604 
1.0527 
l  0484 


Per  cent. 
4.98 
5.52 
4.90 
5  93 
8.  39 
7.69 
8.37 
5.04 
7.  23 
7.94 
7.35 
6.36 
6.90 
(i.  92 
7.17 
5  25 
6.65 
7.69 
8.20 
6.68 
7.55 
8.43 

7.  92 
8.85 

10.02 

8.  80 

9.  08 

8.  25 

8.  98 

9.  08 

7.  75 
B.09 
9.43 
8.59 

8.  28 

8.  59 
7. 69 
8.14 
9.11 
6.72 

9.  18 
9.  37 
6.17 
8.  29 
8.47 
8.  53 

7.98 

6.  93 
7.35 

7.  20 

8.  13 
8  c,i 

8.90 

7.4 


J.    Per  cent. 


8.  20 

7.33 

7.  20 

8.  13 

6.  92 

10.02 

7.77 

6.14 
4.  30 

4  -5 
2.40 
2.  33 
3.20 
2.80 
2.61 
3.27 
2.16 
2.  :  7 
2.50 
3.11 
3.07 
2.71 
2.  29 
2.  20 
1.91 
2.23 

2.  67 

2.  23 
2.  24 
1.90 
1.68 
1.83 
1.91 
2.16 
1.89 
1.95 
2.59 
2.  63 
2. 19 
L.87 

2.  08 
1.89 
2. 19 
2.  59 

2.  37 
2.  36 

1.  55 
l.dl 
1  56 
1.97 

2.  18 
1.51 
1.19 
1.27 
1.25 
1.27 
1.  24 
1.19 
1.  15 
I      - 

1      v.. 

1.  L! 

1.20 

L36 

1.40 

.  99 
1.80 

6.  14 

2.  13 


.  1088 


.5188 


5313 
5813 


.5025 


'813 


5813 


5818 


5938 


5281 


5900 


5000 


5187 


46>8 
4688 
5438 
5313 


.  5364 


70.  35 
87.  66 


87 


Table  IV. — Clarified  juices. 


September  6. 

13 

7.70 

13.94 

September  7  . 

19 

6.50 

11.75 

September  10 

31 

7.10 

12.81 

mber  12 

37 

7.40 

13.  32 

September  12  . 

41 

12.20 

September  13  . 

46 

7.70 

13.  9S 

September  14 

53 

6.70 

12.  04 

September  15 

58 

7.  20 

13.00 

S.  ptember  17 

G3 

7.80 

14.00 

September  18  - 

74 

6.55 

11.82 

September  18 

73 

7.90 

14.29 

mber  19 . 

82 

12.25 

September  20  . 

90 

8.15 

14.  75 

September  21  . 

95 

7.40 

13.41 

September  21  . 

101 

7.40 

13.28 

September  22 

105 

6.60 

]  1.  91 

September  22  . 

109 

6.90 

12.41 

September  2} . 

115 

6.90 

12.46 

September  24 . 

119 

7.40 

13.28 

September  20 . 

12«i 

7.65 

13.  85 

S(  ptember  27 . 

132 

13.64 

September  27  . 

136 

7.40 

13.27 

September  28  . 

140 

7.40 

13.  38 

September  29 

146 

7.80 

14.04 

September  29 

149 

8.30 

14.94 

September  30 

lr.c 

7.90 

14.24 

Sep  tern  bei  30  . 

160 

7.80 

14.14 

October  2    ..  . 

167 

7.  50 

13.  62 

Octobei  2    — 

.170 

7.20 

iao3 

Octobei  2    

174 

7.90 

14.18 

Octobei  5   .... 

181 

7.90 

14.15 

(J<  itober  5 

185 

8.30 

15.00 

!  0    

193 

15.32 

Octob  • 

199 

7.  ti". 

13.85 

Wctobei  - 

208 

7.7U 

Octobei  8    .... 

213 

7.65 

13.78 

Octoh  • 

218 

7.80 

11.01 

October  11  ... 

233 

8.30 

14.91 

:    11    ... 

230 

8.30 

14.88 

October  12    . . 

241 

6.50 

11.74 

October  13... 

-   - 

1 4.  B2 

October  15 

14.41 

■    17     .. 

8.40 

15.  (t7 

October  18  ... 

7.4H 

13.  34 

October  18    .. 

•J74 

- 

14.41 

;    19  .  ... 

-   15 

14.72 

OctoborSO    .. 

14.08 

Octob  1 

Octobei  24 ... 

294 

11.:;:; 

October 23  ... 

11.72 

Octobei  -i 

807 

11.89 

Octobei 

310 

13.  is 

Octob  i 

31G 

1 

12     - 

October  27    .. 

Octob  ; 

T 

12.70 

i 

337 

Octobei 

Octobei 

831 

7.10 

Mbvembt  i  l   . 

Novell. 

12  89 

Nbrembei  2  . 

1 

Nn\  amber  '■>  . 

872 

Maxima 
Minima 


Total 

«„„,.;     solids  bv    Specific 
Banme.     Brix  at     g^ty. 

15.5=. 


1. 056G 
1. 0472 
1.0519 
1.0540 
1.  0493 
1.0500 
L0485 
1.0527 
1. 0570 
1.0476 
1.  0583 
1.0493 
1.0600 
1.0.544 
1.0540 
1.0481 
1.0502 
1.0502 
1.  0540 
1.0561 
1.0553 
1.0540 
1.0544 
1. 0570 
1.0609 
1.0578 
1.0570 

1.0578 

1.0570 
1.0013 
1.  0621 
1.0501 
1.0561 
1.0561 
1.0570 
1.  061  0 

1.  0474 
1.0604 

1.  0613 

1.  0000 
1.0  ".74 
1.0510 
1.0155 
1.0472 
1  0481 
1.0530 

1.0502 

1.0514 
1.0510 

L056I 

l.of.lo 
L0542 

1.0455 


Sucrose.    Glucose. 


Albumi- 
noids. 


Purity. 


Per  cent. 

5.  02 
5.29 

6.17 
7.70 
7.44 

8.  26 
6.73 
7.  07 
8.30 
6.74 
-    - 

6.  70 
7.54 
7.39 
7.41 

6.  oo 

6.  14 
7.88 
8.40 

7.  69 

8.68 
8.10 
9.16 

10   10 

- 

8.44 
8.71 

9.  35 

8.  13 

9.81 

8.  92 

8.24 

8.24 

9.08 
9.38 

9.64 

-    - 

8.81 
8.57 


Percent     Percent. 

5.  74     

4.20     

4.55     




15     . 


3.13 

;;.  06 

3.01 
2.84 
2.  21 

2.  07 

3.09 
3.0 

3.  02 
2.51 
2.  06 
1.82 
2.  14 
2.  26 
1.97 
2,19 

1   75 

1.  !<4 
1.98 

1.93 
1.89 

2.  35 

3.  52 
2.24 
1.83 

2.  03 
1.  96 


.  4938 
.4813 

".'4688' 

.4813 


.5313 

"5625 
.5125 

5000 
5813 


2.  57 
■ 
2.  05 
2.  22 
1.56 
J.r4 
1.62 
1.93 
2.  17 


5813 


lo   10 


2    IS 


- 


47.48 
45.ol 
48.  16 
57.  80 

69.  7 1 

55.  89 

59.  28 
57.  10 
61.7'J 

54.  79 
51.10 

55.  10 
55.  79 

■  72 
63.24 

03.  33 
65.41 

60.  54 

05.  24 

63.76 

■ 

57.  45 

57.  L'O 

01.03 

60.07 
69.  36 

61.49 

60.  b9 
oh.  22 

61.84 

01.13 


9  21 

1.04 

(15  41 

1.17    . 

1.28 

7.40 

1.22    . 

l  :;i 

1.21 
1.16 

- 

1    10 

l   25 

1.22    . 

1.24 

7.  4o 

1.08    . 

7.43 

174 

1  27 

57  91 

I     . 


88 

Table  V. — Semi  sirups. 


Date. 


Si  pt. 
Sept, 
Stpt 
Sept 
Sept. 

Sept. 

S.  pt, 

S.  pt.  18  ... 

S,  pt.  20  ... 

Sept.  21.... 

Sept.  21... 

Sept.    '.'.") 

Sept  27.... 
Sept.  28  ... 
Sept.  2!)  ... 

Sept.  30.... 
Oct        2    ... 

Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 

Oct. 
Oct. 
Dot 

Oct 
Oct, 
Oct. 

Oct. 
Nov. 
Nov. 


fl   ... 

7  ... 

8  ... 
10.... 
12.... 
13  ... 
15... 
1(5  ... 
18  ... 

23 

24  .... 

25 

27 

27 

30 

2 

5 


Maxima. 

Means  . . 
Minima  . 


Xo. 


1 
U 

•jo 

32 
42 
47 
55 
63 
83 
91 
102 
120 
127 
137 
142 
152 
104 
177 
188 
200 
210 
224 
238 
243 
252 
257 
207 
291 
300 
312 
321 
330 
339 
357 
370 


IJautiu 


21.  50 
18.70 
23.  20 

22.  30 
23.10 

23.  00 
14.  50 

24.  20 
26.40 
28.  70 
26.60 
24.00 
27.  40 
26.  oo 

25.  8!) 
25.  80 
25.  60 
24.80 
23.  70 
21.90 
25.  45 
25.  35 
25.  80 
20.20 
20.10 
25.  80 
23.  50 
26.40 

25.  70 

26.  10 
23.  in 
20.  90 
26.  70 

23.  70 

24.  73 


Total 

solids,  by 

Brix,  at 

15.5°. 


28.70 
24.55 

14.  50 


39.27 
34.08 
42.  44 
40.72 

42.  22 
4'I  10 
26.31 
44.21 
18.52 
52.  94 
48.  93 
44.98 
50.  4 1 
47.  82 
47.43 
47.41 
4(5.  87 
45.  50 
43.40 
40.  00 
4(5.  7(5 
4(5.  55 

47.  30 

48.  10 
48.00 

47.  25 

43.  01 

48.  53 
47.  13 
47.99 

42.  34 
4!).  50 
40.04 

43.  25 

44.  53 


52.94 

45.  00 
20.31 


&&  > 


1.1789 
I.  1 521 
1.1901 
1.1835 
1. 1040 
1.  1940 
1.1130 
1.205G 
1.2291 
1.2563 
1.  '.337 
1.2093 
1.2414 
1.2256 
1.2240 
1.2231 
1.2207 
1.2077 
I  201  - 
1. 1820 
1.2196 
1.2185 
1.  222!) 
1  "->72 
I.  22(57 
1.  2221) 
1.  l!i-7 
1.2245 
1.2169 
1.2212 
1.1013 
1.2361 
1.2272 
1. 1001 
1.2072 


Per  cent. 
19.20 

14.47 
IS.  33 
18.15 
2)5.61 

13.52 
2(5.  00 
•.'.I  36 

27.  14 

28.  04 
25.  39 
37.41 
29.41 
28.51 
30.  57 
31.06 

21.08 
23.  78 

28.  90 
30.75 

32.  13 
33.98 
31.08 
25.  02 
30  97 
31.67 

33.  27 
28.  .0 
33.  37 
30.39 
27.  18 
20.63 


Glucose. 


' 


L.2563 

1.2002 
1.  1130 


37.  1 1 
13.52 


Purity. 


lie:. 
15.75 
12.  5". 

8  7  1 
6.39 
9.05 
9.31 

12.00 

0.  If. 
0.77 
0.  33 


6.46 

5.  36 
5.  80 
■).8l 
6.01 
o.  56 

7.81 

5.  Hi 
:..  1 1 
5.12 
5.  33 
4.  80 
4.70 
0.  1 !) 
4.12 

5.16 
4.55 


16.75 
7.21 

4.  12 


48  89 
42,45 
43.19 

44.57 
03.02 
60.14 

51.37 
00.  10 
00.  51 
51.26 
57.  30 

:.ti.  u 

71  21 
61.50 

61.09 
64.48 
64.  5(5 
02.  37 
50.08 
59  45 

57.  99 
62.08 
05.  00 
66  7:) 
70.  88 
72.  52 

58,  17 
63.81 
(17.  19 
69.  32 
66.  74 
67.41 
61.07 
62.  >4 
I  -  To 

72.  52 
60.  70 
42.  45 


Table  VI. — Masse  cuite. 


Date. 

Xuiubcr. 

Moisture. 

Ash. 

Glucose. 

Sucrose, 
direct. 

1 

50.  40 

17.  Ml 

57.  io 

48   io 

62.00 

.VJ.  00 

CI.  00 
0  :    .  o 

c.:{.  40 

61.  20 

Sucrose, 
i ml i it  ct 

4  i.e.:. 

f.o.  2! 

12.  13 

52.  1 1 
51.72 
60.65 

63.  JO 

(it.  72 

63.  52 

CO.  Jl 

Solids, 
not  snjjar. 

Sept.  15... 

Sept.  Ik  ... 

Sept.  19  ... 
Sept.  Jl   ... 
Sept.  Jl   .  .. 
Sept.  24  ... 

Sept  26  ... 

Oct.       0  ... 

51 
66 

76 
01  i 
07 

110 

121 

101 

228 

261 

301 
::il 
377 

P<  r  cent 
15.62 

30.  io 
L5  -o 
16.28 

ll  52 
l  i.   0 
1  l.  52 
14.65 

Per  cent. 
0.  32 

6.  50 
6.  77 

ti.  87 

c.  it; 

7.08 

5.  55 
5.  10 
1   '.il 
5.  92 
B  66 
c.  B0 

7    ... 

Per  tent. 
21.  13 
17.06 
16.50 
(9.39 
•jo.  DO 
21.42 

12.  II 
lo.7.-. 
L0.  15 
8.73 
7.31 
0.  35 
X  81 

0.  03 
5.64 

0.47 

5.  09 
7.58 
B  10 

6.  30 

o  M 
'"6.89 

0.  18 
5.  1  1 
8.07 

•»•  i.     1!   ... 

Oct.     1  1  ... 

Oct.      Hi  ... 

L5.74 

11  24 
I :..  69 
IS  59 

Oct.     L'l   ... 

Oct.     30  ... 
Nov.      1    ... 

30.40             7.29           21.42 

65.  80 

57.  4  1 

1-    \< 

03.  72 
55.  78 
4  1 .  66 

if.  in 
14.24 

6.  15 

i  M 

I  I     ... 
7.31 

89 


Table  VII. — Raic  sugar, 


Dates. 

No. 

Per  cent. 
sugar  by 
polariza- 
tion. 

Sept.  26.. 
Oct.      8.. 
Oct.      8.. 
Oct.      8.. 
Oct.     13.. 

123 
201 
204 
20.") 
2-i2 

77.40 
89.40 
86.  00 
84.  00 

75.80 

82.  52 

Table  VIII. — First  sugar, 


Per  cent. 

Dates. 

No. 

sugar  by 

polariza- 

tion. 

Oct 

9.. 

215 

97.40 

Oct. 

9.. 

381 

97.  00 

Oct. 

8.. 

202 

97  80 

Oct. 

8.. 

222 

98.  'JO 

Oct. 

9.. 

223 

05.  c0 

Oct. 

16  . 

200 

96.  00 

Oct. 

U.. 

303 

95.  (  0 

Oct. 

30 

310 

97.  CO 

Oct. 

30 

347 

97.00 

Oct. 

30 

381 

97.  00 

Mr; 

96.  80 

T a  I ; LE   IX.— Mola sses . 


Date. 

Number. 

Moisture. 

Ash. 

Glucose. 

Sucrose, 
direct. 

Sucrose. 
indirect. 

Solids. 

not  sugar. 

Sept   26  

Oct.      6 

Oct.      6 

Oct.       H 

Oct.      9 

Oct.    lo   

Oct    11    

Oct    n; 

Oct.    24 

122 
190 

196 
203 
221 
■•::, 
2  J!) 
259 
345 

Per  cent. 
20.51 
34.  00 
31.00 
32.25 

•J9.  CO 

I'i  ;■   Cetlt. 

7.t;:; 
7.  33 
7.  11 
7.19 
6.  09 
7. -10 
6.  '.'7 

P<  /■  cent 

28.  i ! 
17.:;:; 

16.  78 

].'..  70 

17.33 
11.  57 
17.30 
1  L  50 

13.32 

34  60 

40.  ii  i 

■11.10 

1  I   4 

41.20 
40.20 

44.00 

I'r  r  cent 

3 '.-19 

4:;.  17 
43.  40 

41   00 
4o  79 

1  80 
1. 61 
1.64 

1.40 
3.  94 

7  64 

34  oo 
20.  92 

7.  t;  i 

7.  11 
ti.  09 

28.41 
17  20 

46.  20 
42,  11 

11.  17 

kffeana  . . . 

Minima    . 



90 

TABLE  X. — Mill  juices  from  exhausted  chips. 


Date. 


Sept    4.... 

Sept.    G 

Sept  7  ... 
Sept  12.... 
Sept  13.... 
Sept.  H.... 
Sept.  it.  .. 
Sept.  18.... 
Sept.  18  ... 
Sept  19. 
Sept 
Sept 


.0 

21 

Sept.   21 

Sept  22 

Sept  2+ 

Sept  24 

Sept   27 

Sept.  28 

Sept.  29 

Sept  29 

Sept.  ISO 

Sept.  :iu 

Oct     2 

Oi  i. 
0  t. 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct 
Oet 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 

Oct    23 

Oct    23 

Oct    24 

Oct    24 

25 

20 

27 

29   , 

29  

30  

1 


Oct. 

Oct 

Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Nov. 

Nov.  2. 
Nov.  2. 
Nov.     3. 


Maxima 

Minima  . 


No.     Buume 


Brix. 


Specific 
gravity. 


12 
17 
40 
44 
51 

<;4 

71 

81 
M 
93 
99 
10« 
112 
117 
130 
141 
114 
150 
157 
KU 
lf.8 
172 
182 
186 
194 
198 
209 
214 
219 
231 
237 
247 
254 
206 
271 
275 
280 
280 
290 
295 
29S 
305 
311 
314 
318 
323 
332 
- 
841 

360 
366 

373 


1.10 

1 .  30 
1.40 
1.G0 
1.G0 
1.  50 

1.  50 
1. 10 

.  «.n) 
1. 10 

1.50 
1.20 

1.2D 

.80 

1.40 

1.30 

2.  20 
l.M) 
1.90 
1.50 

1.  GO 
1.50 
1.40 
1.40 
1.50 
1.10 
1.50 
1.70 
1.90 
1.80 
1.50 
1.90 
1.90 
2.90 

2.  90 
2.  SO 
2.  70 
2.60 
1.90 
2.  80 
1.30 
1.10 
2  20 
1.30 
1.56 
2.40 
2.  GO 
1.90 
1.70 
1.90 
2.  20 
2  40 
2.  90 
2.  00 
2.  20 


2.00 
2.44 

2.  54 
2.94 

2.  67 

2.71 
2.  0  ( 
1.63 

1 .  99 

2.  OS 
2.  13 
2.  22 
1.38 
2.48 

2.  35 
4.04 

3.  32 
3.  47 
2.74 
2.  90 
2.  70 
2.  55 
2.GL 
2.  G9 
2.  00 
2.  G8 
3.12 
3.47 
3.26 

2.  74 

3.  47 
3.36 
5.30 
5.32 
4.14 
4.80 

4.  GO 
3.40 
5.00 
2.  40 

2.  (M 

3.  90 
2.  40 

2.  HO 

4.  20 
1.62 
:;  50 

3.  03 
3.  4G 
3.  90 
4.27 

5.  17 

3.  0 ! 

4.  02 


1.0075 
1. 0089 
1.0101 
1.0113 
1.0113 
1.0105 
1.0105 
4.0:177 
l.o  162 
l.o  i77 
1.0105 
1.0081 
1.0081 
l.oor.O 
1.  0097 
1.0089 
1.0155 
1.0125 
1.0133 
1.0105 
1.0113 
1.0105 
1.0097 
1.0101 
1.0105 
1.0077 
1.0105 
1.0117 
1.0133 
1. 0125 
1.0105 
1.0133 
1.0133 
1.0209 
1.0299 
1.0102 
1.0189 
1.0181 
1.0133 
1.0197 

1.0095 

1.0075 
1.0151 


5.  32 

::.  17 


1.0094 
1.0108 
1.0105 
1.0181 
1.0137 
1.0117 
1.0129 
1.0153 
1.0169 
1.0205 
1.0141 
1.0157 


Sucrose. 


1.0299 
1.01221 


.G9 
.51 
.81 
1.30 
.73 


.51 

1.23 

.51 

.77 

.36 

1.03 

1.08 

1.99 

.77 

2.13 

1.28 

1.28 

1.83 

1.18 

1.36 

1.44 

.72 

1.28 

1.33 

1.58 

1.64 

1.13 

1.49 

1 .  54 

2.29 

1.C9 

2.45 
1.74 
1.44 
2.81 
1.18 
1.03 

1.33 

1 .  28 

2.  10 
2.  10 
1.  33 

1.09 
1     t^ 

1 .  99 

2.  91 

1.  71 
1.79 


Glucose. 


2.91 
1.  10 

.  36 


Purity. 


36.00 
28.  28 
20.  08 
27.  55 

44.  36 
27.  22 

33.  95 
38.91 
42.  33 
25.  63 
45.82 
23.  94 

34.  (8 
20. 09 
41.13 

45.  99 
4  9.25 
23.  19 
01.:  :s 

40.71 
14.  1 :; 
GG.  30 
40.27 
52. 17 
53.  53 
3G.  00 
44.  Of 
42.  02 
45.53 

50.  30 
4  1 .  24 
42.  94 
45.81 
43.21 
47.  9:: 
40  ,-2 

51.  01 

37.  82 
42.  35 
50.  20 
49.  10 
51.50 
57.  f.7 
55.41 
45.72 
49.34 
51.94 

38.  00 

:;:.  ot 
40.  51 

4  8  06 

■tl       ' 


43.  12 


91 


Table  XT.— Albuminoids. 


Xuraber. 

Fresh 
chips. 

Number. 

D.ffusion 
.juice. 

Number. 

Defecated 
juices. 

60 

Per  cent. 
.6503 
.6183 
.  8250 
.7438 
.  7563 
.8003 
.  8875 
.7313 
1.  0375 
.  4875 
.8306 
.  80S7 
.  9050 

72 

Per  cent. 
.  4688 

63     . 

Per  cent. 
.  4938 
.4813 
.4688 

.  5438 

.481:: 

.5313 
.  5025 
K19S 

70. 

77 

.4088 
.  5438 
.5313 
.  4088 
.5188 
.5188 

138 

143 

►9 

91 

><2 

90... 

95 

163 

104 

118 

135 

183 

211 

234 

253   

119 

^'^9 

139 

5313      i^fi 

145 

166 

L84 

212 

235 

297 

306 

319 

324 

333 

361 

.5813 

.  5025 

.5813 

5813 

140                         -r>"(in 

301 

317 

322 

359 

Means 

140 

107 

1 85 

.5813 

.  .-50(1 
.5125 
.  5625 
.57:0 
.5813 
.  501  0 
.  5025 
.5000 

.5813 

.  5938 
.  5281 
.5094 

.  5000 
.5187 

213 

230 

256 

320 

325 

302 

.  :>:,: 

.5JG4 

.  5278 

92 


Table  XII. 


Comparison  of  acidity  in  juices  from  fresh  chips  and  diffusion  juices  with 
use  of  caustic  lime. 


Date. 

Mill  juices  from  fresh  chips. 

Diffusion  juices. 

100  c.c. 

Glucose 

100  c.c. 

Glucose 

No. 

N 

Su- 

Glu- 

to 100 

No. 

N 

So- 

Glu- 

to 100 

Kx  trac- 

req. 1Q 

crose. 

cose. 

jits,  su- 

req.  1Q 

cose. 

ptS.  8U- 

tion. 

NaOH. 

crose. 

NaOH 

c.  c. 

Pre  nt. 

/Y.o  ut. 

c.  <•. 

• 
Pi-cent 

1'lCillt. 

Oct.     5 

179 

32 

12.  47 

3.  02 

24.2 

180 

15 

7.  75 

2.  60 

33.4 

88.45 

Oct     5 

183 

12 

10.97 

3.66 

33.4 

184 

9 

2.  63 

32.  5 

93.  10 

Oct,     6 

189 

28 

i:f.97 

2.49 

17.8 

1!'2 

12 

9.  43 

2.  19 

22.  1 

90.  80 

Oct.     8 

206 

38 

12.  56 

2.85 

22.  7 

2«7 

21 

2.08 

25.  1 

h7.40 

Oct     0 

211 

24 

12. 0.1 

2.31 

19.2 

212 

14 

8.59 

1.89 

22 

P6.30 

Oct     0 

21(5 

39.  5 

11.  97 

2.91 

24.5 

217 

33 

7.  65 

2.  19 

28  0 

'.mi.  50 

Oct    11 

230 

35.5 

13.  28 

2.87 

21.6 

232 

18 

8.14 

2  56 

31.8 

88.70 

Oct   11 

234 

30 

12.  15 

2.44 

19.6 

20 

9.11 

24.3 

.s7.  70 

Oct   13 

244 

35 

10.05 

3.91 

38.9 

246 

28 

9.  48 

2.  36 

24.9 

77.2'' 

Oct   15 

253 

(*) 

15.  58 

1.31 

8.4 

255 

<*) 

9.37 

L55 

16.  5 

8!.  70 

Oct    19 

277 

52 

14.  31 

2.  til 

17.1 

278 

23.5 

2.13 

24.9 

Oct   20 

283 

44.5 

13.37 

2.  19 

16.  3 

284 

24  4 

8.98 

1.54 

17.1 

Oct,  22 

287 

42 

12.47 

1.21 

9.7 

288 

14.5 

7.  93 

1.19 

]:.  0 

90  50 

Oct.  2:5 

292 

30 

11.98 

1.48 

12.  3 

293 

15 

6.93 

1.27 

18.3 

91.40 

Oct  23 

29G 

25 

11.90 

1.48 

12.3 

297 

18 

7.  35 

1.25 

17.0 

81.  10 

Oct    24 

304 

30 

12.96 

1.2!) 

9.9 

306 

10 

7.20 

1.27 

17.6 

P9.  70 

Oct.   24 

25 

12.19 

1.  3!) 

11.4 

309 

10 

8.13 

1.24 

15.2 

89.50 

Oct  25 

313 

38 

14.41 

1.74 

12.1 

315 

8 

8.61 

1.19 

13.7 

85.40 

Oct   20 

:\\i 



14.98 

1.00 

6.7 

319 

1 

8.58 

1.15 

13.4 

84.  00 

Oct   27 

322 

36 

14.29 

i.34 

9.4 

324 

15 

8.  90 

1.28 

14.3 

90.  70 

Oct   27 

326 

19.5 

12.91 

1.20 

9.3 

327 

7 

a  »2 

1.29 

15.  3 

Oct  29 

331 

26 

14.49 

1.18 

8.1 

333 

12 

7.  42 

1.15 

1:.  5 

92  f.O 

Oct   29 

335 

33 

14.01 

1.14 

8.1 

336 

13 

8.20 

1  ::; 

16.  1 

87.  90 

Oct  30 

340 

2ti 

13.99 

1.42 

10.1 

342 

6 

7.  33 

1.20 

16.4 

-J    .2 

Oct   30 

349 

18 

13.59 

2.(0 

14.7 

350 

16 

7.20 

1.36 

18.8 

Nov.    1 

353 

20 

14.  30 

2.  23 

10.6 

354 

0 

8.  13 

1.40 

17.2 

Kfl  (i  1 

Nov.    2 

359 

12 

13.  h7 

L99 

14  5 

361 

(t) 

7.48 

1.80 

21.6 

77.  2d 

Nov.    2 

Mb  ail- 

363 

29.2 

12.91 

1.  13 

8.7 

364 

2 

6  92 

8.15 

0.99 
l.tiiT 

14.3 
20.  2 

86.  50 

13.  15 

1.99 

15.4 

14.4 

87.  33 

Table  Xlll.— Comparison  of  acidity  of  juice*  without  caustic  lime 


Sept  21 

92 

31.00 

9  34 

4    12 

41.1 

94 

39.  40 

6.  92 

3.12 

45.  1 

M.5Q 

Sept  22 

107 

IO.    Ml 

11.40 

3.  11 

27.1 

108 

6  65 

34.6 

Sept.  24 

111 

36.00 

!>  65 

3.02 

31.3 

113 

89. 30 

Sept.  24 

116 

40.00 

10.89 

2  24 

2  1.  6 

118 

1.91 

Sept2G 

121 

17.00 

12.89 

2.  51 

19.4 

125 

26  1  0 

2.  23 

33.3 



Sept  29 

143 

10.00 

12.79 

2.  15 

19.  1 

145 

40.00 

8.  85 

1.96 

22  1 

Sept  29 

117 

:u  50 

14.92 

1.19 

7.9 

148 

::t  .".0 

10.02 

1 .  68 

10.7 

88.  60 

S.-].t.  30 

151 

19.00 

13.82 

1.  -2 

13.2 

1  55 

!'i  00 

S.  Ml 

1.83 

20   6 

90.76 

Sept  30 

]  58 

12  50 

13.66 

13.4 

159 

40.  50 

1    91 

21.0 

B8     Ml 

Oct.      2 

155 

45.  10 
40.  59 

12  69 

2   60 

21.2 

106 

29.  70 

2  16 

tt  1 

9o   To 

12.21 

2.  49 

21.7 

35.43 

8.  12 

2   13 

27.  1 

89.  49 

Table  XIV. — Acidity  and  inversion  with  calcium  carbonate  (whiting). 


S.  ,,1.27 

Sept  27 

181 

13H 

1 1  1 
It 

i:;    ■) 

2    11 

21    0 

185 

129 

1-    Ou 

7.92 

2.  2 » 

43.7 

13.  15 

2    12 

18  4 

16.75 

&  18 

" 

27  4 

Neutral, 


1  Alkaline, 


[)3 


Table  XV. — Comparison  of  Brix  spindles  with  solid*  by  drying. 
MILL  .JUICES  FROM  FEESH  CHIPS. 


Date. 

No. 

Brix 

at 
15.5°. 

50      . 

28 

x  *Z 

~  £ 

Total  solids 
direct  w  uli 

iisbestus. 

U 
I 

c 

cc 

o 
o 

= 
■z 

•  : 

z.  ^ 
u 

-    . 

o 

I'r.cent.  Pr.cent. 

Pr.cent. 

Pr.cent. 

I'r  r.  nt. 

Oct. 

3 

176 

18.-1!) 

17.  2  L 

17.14 

12.  82 

1.61 

69.33 

73.  62 

Oct 

4 

183 

19.83 

18.  57 

18.  15 

10.97 

3.  66 

55.  32 

11.06 

60.88 

Oct. 

5 

IRQ 

20.40 

19.00 

19.43 

13.  97 

2.49 

14.  03 

72.19 

Oct. 

11 

230 

21.  GO 

20.10 

20.10 

13.28 

2.  ^7 

61.48 

66.  49 

Oct 

13 

244 

21.20 

19.81 

19.  73 

11.63 

3.91 

54.80 

11.70 

59.  30 

Oct. 

ia 

270 

21.81 

20.87 

20.41 

14.84 

2.91 

68.04 

14.92 

73.  :o 

Oct. 

23 

292 

17.  73 

10.00 

16.01 

11.98 

1.48 

67.  57 

12.07 

75  40 

Oct. 

24 

304 

19.07 

17.77 

17.25 

12.  90 

1.29 

67.  Of, 

13.06 

7.V  69 

Oct. 

25 

313 

20.  34 

18.82 

18.75 

14.41 

1.74 

70.84 

14.  50 

76.  82 

Oct. 

20 

317 

21.23 

19.50 

19.47 

14.98 

1.00 

7o.  56 

15.  OS 

75. 80 

Oct. 

27 

322 

20.50 

18.  85 

18.80 

14.29 

1.31 

69.  50 

14.40 

76.  40 

Oct. 

29 

331 

20.  00 

18.  85 

18.74 

14.49 

1.18 

73.  39 

14.60 

77.91 

Oct 

30 

340 

20.57 

19.06 

18.68 

13.  99 

1.42 

68  01 

'4.  12 

75.  57 

Nov. 

2 

358 

20.61 

18.71 

18.  13 

13.67 

1.99 

66.  23 

13.81 

70.02 

Nov.     3 
Means .. 

370 
.... 

18.67 

20.18 

16.  99 

18.72 

■ 

17.01 
18.52 

12.  86 
13.41 

1.41 

88.  88 

12.95 

76.  18 

2.02 

66.70 

13.  50 

72.  76 

TABLE  XVI.— DIFFUSION  JUICES. 


Oct. 

4 

180 

13.65 

12.56 

12.10 

7.75 

2  60 

50  79 

7.8) 

64  U 

Oct 

6 

192 

14.  82 

13.  36 

13.  23 

9.  43 

2.19 

63.  63 

9.  4!) 

71.75 

Oct 

9 

217 

13.57 

12.29 

12.21 

7.  65 

2.19 

56.  66 

Oct. 

11 

232 

13.85 

13.02 

12.98 

K.  14 

2.  59 

5.*.  90 

8.  16 

62.  8  1 

Oct 

13 

246 

14.90 

14.04 

13.91 

9.48 

2.36 

63.  62 

9.  62 

69.  30 

Oct. 

19 

278 

14.05 

12.71 

12.29 

8.  53 

2.13 

60.61 

69.  69 

Oct 

23 

293 

10.78 

9.  24 

9.28 

6.  89 

1.27 

63.91 

6.  93 

74.  68 

Oct 

24 

306 

11.41 

10.47 

9.98 

7.  20 

1.27 

63.  10 

7.  24 

72.37 

Oct 

25 

315 

12.  28 

11.01 

10.91 

8.04 

1.19 

70.  35 

8.  68 

79.  60 

Oct 

20 

319 

12.  38 

11.30 

11.20 

8.58 

1.  15 

77.00 

Oct 

30 

342 

11.22 

7.  33 

1.20 

7.37 

75.  19 

Nov. 

2 

361 

12.72 

11.12 

11.16 

7.  48 

1.80 

58.  91 

7.  53 

67.44 

Nov.    3 
Means  . . 

371 

12.47 

]o  82 

10.85 

8.33 

1.30 

00.80 

8.  39 

77.30 

12.  93 

11.68 

11.53 

8.11 

1.7, 

62.92 

8.16 

71.13 

REPORT  OF  HUBERT  EDSON,  DOUGLASS.  KANS. 


I  herewith  submit  my  report  of  the  work  done  at  Douglass,  Ivans., 
during-  season  of  1888. 

I  wish  to  call  attention  to  tbe  valuable  aid  given  me  by  my  associate, 
J.  L.  Fuelling.  Without  his  assistance  much  that  lias  been  accom- 
plished would  not  have  been  done. 

Also,  I  would  mention  the  hearty  co-operation  of  Mr.  Fred  Hinze  in 
the  sugar  house. 

After  one  or  two  trial  runs,  to  test  the  machinery  of  the  house, 
the  regular  manufacturing  season  at  Douglass  commenced  September 
14,  and  continued,  with  what  regularity  was  possible,  up  to  October  25. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  Early  Amber  was  ready  for  work  by 
the  middle  of  August  and  possibly  earlier.  When  I  arrived  in  Doug- 
lass, August  2(>,  I  found  several  fields  that  had  passed  maturity.  This 
cane,  however,  contrary  to  experience  elsewhere,  did  not  deteriorate  in 
any  marked  degree  till  some  time  after  reaching  its  maximum  sucrose. 
When  the  house  was  closed  we  still  had  Amber  coming  in  in  large 
quantities,  and  containing  sucrose  enough  to  warrant  working  it. 

Besides  the  Amber  the  two  other  varieties  chiefly  grown  were  the 
Orange,  and  a  cane  identified  by  Mr.  Denton,  of  Sterling,  Kans.,as  the 
Chinese. 

The  Amber  and  Chinese  contained  highest  sucrose  and  lowest  glu 
COSe,  with  the  advantage  slightly  in  favor  of  the  Chinese.     The  Orange 
did  not  do  as  well  as  was  expected,  but  it  was  planted  bo  late  in  the 
season  that  it  did  not  have  time  to  mature. 

The  exceedingly  variable  nature  of  tin'  cane  brought  in  was  a  source 
of  constant  annoyance,  uor  would  the  appearance  of  the  stalks  be  any 

Criterion  of  the  quality  of  the  juice.  One  field  of  30  acres  which  had 
been  ordered  hauled  in  before  any  test  had  been  made  of  it  was  found 
on  tin;  arrival  of  the  first  load  to  contain  but  4.50  per  cent,  sucrose, 
with  almost  as  much  glucose.  This  cane  w  as,  judging  by  its  appear 
ance,  US  good  as   any  worked   during  the   season,  but  repeated  tests   of 

Bam  plea  taken  from  different  parts  of  the  held  failed  to  show  in  n  single 

instance  enough  sucrose  to  warrant  working  for  sugar.  Numerous  in- 
stances of  this  same  thing  weie    found  throughout  the  season,  and   the 

cane  needed  the  closest  watching. 


95 

One  tiling'  it  would  be  well  to  impress  upon  the  sorghum  grower,  and 
that  is  the  Necessity  of  growing  small  or  medium  sized  canes.  From 
numerous  trials  of  comparative  samples  the  highest  sucrose  and  lowest 
glucose  were  always  found  in  the  smaller  canes.  Fields  also  where  the 
small  and  slender  canes  predominated  were  always  of  superior  quality. 
The  best  cane  analyzed  at  Douglass  was  a  sample  from  a  held  sowed  for 
fodder,  iu  which  the  seed  had  been  scattered  broadcast  on  the  land,  and 
as  a  consequence  grew  very  small.  Of  course  I  do  not  mean  to  advo- 
cate the  sowing  of  sorghum  seed  to  grow  a  product  for  the  sugar-house, 
as  then  too  large  an  amount  of  sheath  and  leaves  would  be  obtained, 
but  it  is  necessary  to  avoid  large  rank  stalks  if  the  desire  is  to  obtain  a 
high  content  of  sucrose. 

SUGAR-HOUSE. 

The  house  was  designed  to  work  100  tons  of  held  cane  daily.  The 
Hughes  cutter  and  shredder  were  used.  The  trap-door  just  before 
the  cutter,  through  which  it  was  intended  to  pass  the  set-d  heads, 
failed  to  work  satisfactorily.  This  was  due,  in  part  at  least,  to  the 
heavy  feed  which  it  was  necessary  to  keep  on  the  narrow  carriers  in 
order  to  supply  the  battery  with  chips.  The  shredder  when  properly 
adjusted  did  excellent  work,  tearing  the  chips  into  a  pulp  it  required. 

The  main  feature  of  the  house  was  the  diffusion  battery.  This  is 
known  as  the  Hughes  system  of  diffusion,  and  is  described  in  Bulletin  1  7, 
chemical  division,  Department  of  Agriculture.  The  one  at  Douglass 
differed  slightly,  however,  from  the  one  described  there.  The  main  bat- 
tery contained  ten  cells,  with  the  baskets  for  holding  chips  used  in  bis 
process,  and  in  addition  to  these  an  outside  cell  was  placed  so  that 
the  arm  from  the  large  crane  could  reach  the  basket  while  immersed 
in  it. 

An  extra  crane  was  necessary  to  raise  and  lower  the  baskets  in  this 
cell,  as  it  had  to  be  worked  without  connection  with  the  main  battery. 

The  object  of  the  cell  was  to  give  a  dense  diffusion  juice  and  thus 
save  evaporation.  As  the  battery  progressed  the  heaviest  juice  from 
two  cells  were  drawn  into  the  outside  cell,  and  there  received  two 
baskets  of  hesh  chips  before  being  discharged.  This,  as  far  as  1  was 
able  to  see,  did  not  attain  the  object  claimed  for  it,  as  no  fresh  chips 
ever  reached  the  main  battery,  and  consequently  the  juices  were  more 
dilute  and  needed  the  addition  of  two  baskets  of  fresh  chips  to  bring 
them  to  a  normal  diffusion  juice.      It  is  certain  at  least  that  the  extra 

steam  power  required  to  run    the  outside  cell   would   a  -real  deal  more 

than  suffice  to  evaporate  any  less  dense  juice  thai  might  be  obtained. 

Before  passing  to  the  work  done  by  the  battery,  as  h  whole  it  is  but 

Just  to  say  that  there  were  mechanical  defects  in  the  construction  which 

if  they  could    have   been    remedied    this   SCaSOIl  would    ha\e   materially 

assisted  the  quality  of  the  work.    The  bottom  of  the  baskets,  iust<  ad 

of  being  single  and  swinging  to  one  side,  were  doable  and  billged  to  a 


96 

cross-bar  extending  from  one  side  of  the  basket  to  the  other.  As  a  con- 
sequence  of  this  arrangement  the  emptying  of  the  exhausted  chips  was 
a  very  difficult  matter.  But,  on  tho  other  hand,  a  basket  constructed 
strong  enough  to  permit  a  single  bottom  would  be  altogether  too  heavy 
to  use  where  so  much  of  the  work  is  done  by  hand. 

The  average  sucrose  of  the  fresh  chips  for  the  season  was  9.88 ;  for 
the  exhausted  chips,  1.72.  The  extraction  of  sucrose,  therefore,  was 
9.88-1. 72=8.1G-^9.8S=82.50  per  cent.  This  extraction  was  accom- 
panied by  a  dilution  of  52.45  per  cent.  16.89  (Brix  of  fresh  chips)— 8.03 
(Brix  of  diffusion  juice) ;  S.SG-^IG. 89=52. 45  percent.  With  a  dilution 
of  this  sort  in  a  closed  battery  practically  all  the  sugar  would  be  ex- 
hausted instead  of  1.72  per  cent,  left  in  by  the  Hughes  process. 

It  was  noticed  that  a  regular  ratio  existed  between  the  exhaustion 
and  the  dilution.  As  the  dilution  was  increased  the  extraction  became 
better,  and  vice  versa. 

Besides  the  amount  of  sugar  left  in  the  chips  there  was  an  unknown 
waste  of  immense  quantities  of  juice  from  the  drippings  of  the  baskets 
in  transferring  them  from  the  eleventh  cell  to  the  cells  of  the  main 
battery.  This  loss  it  was  impossible  to  gauge,  but  to  any  one  who  saw- 
it,  it  was  evident  that  no  inconsiderable  amount  was  lost. 

Nothing  which  we  could  think  of  to  make  the  battery  a  success  was 
left  undone.  For  part  of  the  time  I  shifted  all  of  the  laboratory  weak 
to  my  associate,  Mr.  Fuelling,  and  took  charge  of  the  battery.  This  I 
was  prepared  to  do  from  a  previous  year's  work  with  the  inventor  of 
the  system,  with  whose  plan  of  running  the  battery  I  was  consequently 
familiar.  Although  the  quality  of  the  work  was  improved  after  the 
change  I  instituted,  it  was  so  far  from  being  good  diffusion,  that  nothing- 
was  left  to  do  but  to  condemn  the  apparatus. 

THE  DIFFUSION   JUICE. 

The  juice  as  it  came  from  the  cells  was  full  of  finely  di\  ided  liber 
which  had  come  through  the  perforations  of  the  baskets,  and  was  also 
of  such  a  dirty  black  color  that  it  was  impossible  to  clarify  it. 

Sulphites  of  lime  were  used  for  awhile,  as  were  also  superphosphates, 
but  both  were  so  lull  of  sulphuric  acid  and  accomplished  so  little,  that 
they  were  discontinued. 

The  juice  probably  acquired  some  of  this  color  from  its  acids  attack- 
ing the  iron  vessels  in  which  it  was  kept  .so  much  of  the  time,  but 
t  he  main  cause  was  the  passage  of  large  quantities  of  seeds  through  to 
t  he  diffusion  bailers  along  with  t  he  lioh  chips.  As  was  incut  ioned  be- 
fore, the  cutter  was  too  narrow  for  the  capacity  of  the  house,  and  a  \  cry 

heavy  feed  was  kept  on  the  carrier,  preventing  the  seed-heads  (hop- 
ping down  through  the  trap-door  designed  for  that  purpose. 

To  illustrate  that  these  seeds  were  the  cause  of  the  discoloration,  'Sir. 
Fuelling  diffused  two  beakers  lull  of  chips,  the  one  of  them  containing 
a  few  seed  and  the  other  none. 


97 

The  one  with  the  seed  gave  the  black  color  characteristic  of  the  dif- 
fusion juice  from  the  bouse,  while  the  other  gave  a  perfectly  clear  limpid 
liquor.  I  endeavored  to  have  the  superintendent  of  the  house  make  a 
run,  cutting  the  tops  oil'  in  the  field,  but  he  failed  to  do  so. 

DISPOSITION   OF   EXHAUSTED   CIIIPS. 

During  the  first  part  of  the  season  a  long  carrier  was  used  to  convey 
the  chips  to  the  yard.  It  was  intended  to  extend  this  as  the  yard  filled 
ui>,  but  the  chains  broke  so  often,  that  this  plan  was  given  up  and  the 
chips  taken  off  in  carts. 

The  centrifugals  did  very  poor  work  throughout  the  season:  but  so 
little  sugar  was  extracted  by  the  battery  that  it  was  not  considered 
necessary  to  get  new  ones. 

SUMMARY   OF   WORK. 

During  the  season  2,167  tons  of  cane  were  worked.  Allowing  25  per 
cent,  off  for  tops  and  leaves,  this  would  amount  to  1,623  tons  of  cleaned 
cane. 

Forty-five  thousand  pounds  of  sugar,  94.45  polarization,  were  obtained, 
or  26.2  pounds  per  ton  of  clean  cane. 

Eliminating  the  loss  in  the  centrifugals,  which  would  have  been  rem- 
edied if  enough  sugar  had  been  obtained  to  justify  it,  the  great  loss  iu 
working  the  house  was  in  the  battery. 

RESULTS   OF   ANALYSES. 
Table  No.  XVII. — Sorghum  cane. 


Tola! 

Date. 

No. 

HO  1  i  (l.S 
liy  Brix 
at  17.:, 

Specific 
gravity. 

S  i 

Purity. 

Character  of  sample 

Perct 

Sept    :> 

16.34 

1.6669 

9.  17 

I'.iou  ii  down  Amber. 

Sept.    •"' 

16.43 

l.(ili74 

!».  82 

56.  7:i 

Standing  npi  i^lit. 

Sept.     ti 

15;  84 

1.0648 

Lilt  on  carrier  lor  live  data. 

Sept.    'i 

17. 62 

1.U7L-7 

1>... 

Sept.     f) 

22.  14 

1.0882 

12.44 

56.  si 

Do. 

Sept.    7 

i:,  20 

1.0621 

9.61 

a  mi.  i  iiom  Holmes's  farm. 

Sept    * 

it;.  ;.i 

L0675 

■ 

37  12 

].<  it  on  carrier  for  se>  en  da.\  ». 

Sept    8 

18.21 

13.47 

Mi  .limn  si/..  <i  Am  Iter  from  lipl  i 

ii. 1. 

Sept.    x 

18.  10 

1.07  l.s 

io.  ca 

Medium  si/.  .1  A  robot  (rout  lowl 

in.l 

Sept    * 

17.64 

1.0727 

13.  16 

74.60 

( '.in.-  ii  .mi  low  laud. 

S.-].t.  11 

1.0706 

12.87 

Spot  t  i  .in. .  1 1  fool  ;>  incites  Ion 

r. 

Sept.  11 

11 

17.22 

1.0700 

3.  73 

21   60 

i  ;im-  limn  <;ii  in  r. 

Sopt.  12 

19 

I .  ■  353 

ll  20 

Cut  for  1  no  d.i\  -,. 

Sept  12 

28 

17. '.rj 

1.0730 

One  sp  'it. 

Sept,  ]• 

I7.'.»:$ 

71.81 

A  inli.  i . 

Sep'.    13 

17.  |U 

1.0704 

ll.:i7 

<  'Inn 

Sept.   13 

11.63 

Wlnt.    All  i<-  in 

s.pt.  I  ; 

17.  (.7 

1.0720 

11.86 

• 

fan''  Irom  ('..ii.lis. 

Sept  13 

:;i 

St  uiiiin-  from   M  i    Al 

Kept  13 

::.' 

17.  17 

1.0717 

1  alien  m>m  Mi    \Ci.  is. 

Sept  13 

Ainiiii  from  >  -i  i  hi  . 

S.pt.  13 

ii.  r. 

i 

Sept  13 

i 

1.0613 

10  :l 

Do. 

Sept.  13 

41 

is  67 

i.  n~;<> 

1    MO 

til  20 

Amli.i 

S.pt.  13 

1 

10  70 

1  0 

Sept  i.: 

" 

' 

IHCiii— Hull.  20- 


98 


Table  No.  XVII. — Sorghum  cane — Continued, 


Total 

Date. 

f -        s  o  1  i  (1  s 
>0-    b\   Brix 

at  1 

Specific 
gravity. 

Su- 
crose. 

Purity. 

Sept.  14 

49 

15.27 

1.0621 

9.00 

59.  55 

Sept,  14 

50 

1.0327 

3.  75 

44.2:; 

Sept.  14 

51 

15.77 

1.0643 

10.20 

64.64 

Sept.  14 

52 

it;.  33 

1.0609  | 

11.99 

79.  54 

Sept.  14 

51 

16.00 

1.0656 

10.  29 

64.31 

Sept.    15 

63 

17.  03 

1.0730 

12.41 

09.  21 

Scpr.  17 

77 

17.54 

1.07*2 

11.48 

Sept.  17 

81 

11.57 

1.0464 

5.13 

42.  61 

Kept.  17 

hj 

15.07 

1.0652 

9.81 

61.42 

-      t.  17 

- 

15.74 

1.0643 

10.88 

69. 12 

Sept.  17 

84 

14.14 

1.0574 

8.59 

Oti.  74 

Sept.  17 

- 

18.  32 

1.0757 

12.28 

67.03 

Sept.  17 

86 

17.87 

1.0735 

12.03 

67.  32 

Sept.  17 

87 

10.27 

i  o  :<;:> 

0.  55 

58.  69 

Sept.  17 

88 

19.03 

1.07,-8 

12.87 

67.  53 

S,  pt.  17 

9  J 

16.72 

10.10 

60.41 

S   pt.  17 

9! 

18.21 

1.0753 

9.65 

52.  00 

Sept.  18 

05 

15.70 

1   0643 

9.  48 

60.04 

Sept.  18 

9G 

12.40 

1.0502 

7.  15 

57.  66 

Sept.  18 

105 

i5.:;8 

1.0626 

8.97 

Sept.  1!) 

106 

14.22 

1.0578 

8.48 

59.  63 

Sept.  10 

107 

16.10 

1.0660 

9.68 

59.  79 

Sept.  19 

108 

13.  60 

1 . 0553 

8.06 

50.20 

5(  .t.  19 

100 

18.92 

1.0783 

12.  67 

CO.  96 

Sept,  10 

110 

10.77 

1.0430 

5.  40 

50.14 

Sept.  19 

112 

21.17 

1.0009 

15.08 

71.23 

pt.  19 

113 

1.0824 

14.14 

7 1 . :  o 

Sept.  10 

114 

I6.S18 

1.0U95 

11.52 

67.  84 

Sept.  '.'1 

117 

9.77 

1.0388 

4.71 

47.  18 

Sept.  '-'1 

10.57 

1.0422 

5.  30 

50. 14 

127 

13.  83 

1.0561 

9.08 

S.  pt    23 

141 

17.72 

1.0730 

11.33 

63.  93 

Sept.  26 

177 

17.90 

1.0739 

12.  46 

69.55 

Sept,  26 

178 

17.75 

1  0732 

12.  18 

- 

187 

15  06 

1.0813 

8.01 

57.  17 

Sept.  26 

189 

15.77 

l.o(i43 

8.  76 

55.  55 

s-  pt.  26 

19J 

17.23 

1.6701 

11.51 

06.  80 

Sept.  28 

10.92 

1.0439 

I   75 

43.40 

Sept.  28 

204 

20  24 

1.0841 

15  Oil 

77.  07 

Sept.   L9 

200 

19.30 

1.6801 

14.  65 

76.  00 

Sept.  29 

'2(  i7 

18.  40 

1.0701 

11.72 

63.  32 

Oct.      1 

212 

10.14 

1.0866 

13.36 

75.02 

Oct.     1 

213 

19.  19 

1  0828 

14.37 

71.88 

Oct,     2 

•111 

18.  HI 

1.0718 

13.58 

75.  02 

Oct.      2 

18  25 

1.0753 

6.30 

34.  85 

Oct.     :; 

245 

1.6744 

12.61 

Oct,     8 

246 

13.  20 

I 

6.  53 

40.  30 

Oct.      4 

2r>7 

1.0634 

9.  4> 

01.0, 

Oet.         4 

L4.70 

1.6600 

6.21 

4  2   00 

Oct.     5 

17.73 

1.07  o 

1  Ki- 

64. 74 

Oct.      5 

t ).  1 .      5 

273 

'-•71 

17  06 

ll.  08 

15  03 

70.  22 

74.04 

Oct.     5 

'_'7."> 

18.00 

Oct.     5 

278 

lo.oo 

l     98 

Oct,      5 

•J77 

in  60 

|0  88 

1 

- 

- 

Oct,     0 



71.50 

Oft.       h 

13.35 



- 

Oct.      H 

o 

301 

16.67 
15.20 
12.  OS 

11.00 
9.00 

66.  10 

.......... 

•       1 

Oct.    12 
Oct.    12 
Oct    18 

848 

1(71 

12.  10 

19.23 

5  51 

11.21 

12  42 

....... 

Oct.    18 

376 



i-  | 

Oct.    10 

891 

15.  Hi 

392 

12.75 



(),  t.    20 

898 

14.27 



Dot,    20 

17.77 

12,78 

71    75 

Oct.    20 

4011 



12.  18 

Oct.    -'" 

101 

• 

(i,i     2« 

13.78 



8.  02 

bl.82 

(I.   1         >.i 

14.56 

62  lo 

1  |   ■ 

401 

. ,  , 

• 



11   -:. 

400 

Mean 

1 

10.0'< 

Character  of  sample 


Mixed  I 

Orange. 

Do. 

Do. 
Amber  from  carrier. 

Chin 
Orauge. 
Mixed  A  tuber. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Da 

Do. 

Do. 
Orat  i  _ 
A  in  tier. 
Jersey  Ot   i 
Sprout-  from  above. 
Kansas  (nance. 
Mixed  Amber. 
Late  Orauge. 
Amber. 
Chiut 
>  Orauge. 

Do. 

Do. 
Mixed  amber. 
Spoi  t  cane. 
Mixed  cane. 

Do. 
C»ne  red  al  bcart. 
Orange. 
Amber. 
Orange. 

Small  Orange,  planted  close. 
Mixed  cano. 
Cane  from  carrier. 
Amber. 
( Sbincse. 
Aiiili.  r. 
Orauge. 

U  • 

Do. 
Amber. 

lo. . 

Do, 

Do. 
Small  cine. 

White  African. 
Orauuo. 

Do. 

Do 

Do. 

Do. 

l>o. 

Do. 
Amber 

Unitize. 
White  A  Itiiao. 
A  tidier. 
Orange. 
White  A  li  it  an. 
Orange. 

i.i-t  frost 
Oiange. 

D«i 
Do. 
Do. 

i' 

Do 

Do 


99 

Table  XVIII. — Fresh  chips. 


Total 

Date. 

Xo. 

solids  by 

Brix  at" 

17.5°. 

Sucrose. 

Purity. 

Glucose. 

Albumi- 
noids. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

itt. 

Sept.  14 

56 

16.  50 

9.51 

57.  C4 

3.  25 



Sept.  14 

60 

1S.71 

it.  75 

52. 1  0 

4.59 



Sept.  15 

G4 

10.  25 

8.  K5 

54.86 

3.  so 



Sept.    15 

Sept.  16 

(Jit 
7:1 

IS.  00 
17.77 

9.  20 
10.67 

51.  11 
00.  04 

:;.  70 

3.03 

Sept.  16 

78 

18.  8G 

12.33 

65  37 

2.  93 

Sept.  17 
Sept.  17 

Sept.  17 
Sept.  21 
Sept.  22 
Sept.  22 
Sept.  23 

90 
97 
101 

no 

123 
130 

134 

10.  ".1 
21.34 
19.25 
i:;.  32 
15.75 
15.  20 
15.17 

9.73 
15.02 
12.90 

5.40 
9.10 
9.GI 

7.  s0 

70.  38 
G7.01 
40.54 

57.  78 
03.  22 
51.  si 

3.  24 
2.  :;7 
2. 10 

2.  72 

2.81 

3.  21 





Sept.  23 
Sept.  23 

138 
143 

17.13 
17.11 

11.  12 
10.88 

61.91 

0;  .v.i 

1.46 

2.81 

Sept.  23 

HO 

17.79 

10.  5G 

59.  30 

2.  58 



Sept.  '-'4 

Sept.  24 

s  pt.  24 
Sept.  25 

S.'i.t.  25 

150 
154 

:5S 
1(15 
169 

1G.GI 
1G.  10 

10.82 
1 '..  2:; 
17.  03 

10.45 

9.10 
10.  55 

7.  85 
10.46 

02.  91 
50.  52 
G2.  72 
51.54 
G1.41 

2.58 

3.  07 

2.  00 

3.  93 
2.  !»5 







. ... 

Sept.  25 

Sept.  2(1 
Sept.  2(5 

17.; 

17!) 

is:; 

17.49 

17.10 

11.25 

10.  G9 
9.  75 

07.  12 
61.12 

2.2; 
2.91 

3.12 



::::::: 

Sept.  27 
Sept,  27 
Sept.  27 

Oct.       1 

191 
195 

199 
208 

15.37 
19.25 

17.21 
18.22 

7.72 
11.    9 

9.  72 
11  21 

50  26 

GO  21 
56.  48 

01.90 

3.47 
3.  85 
3.48 
2  37 

Oct.       1 
Oct.      2 
Oct.     -J 

214 
217 
220 

1G.G0 

is.  is 
10.51; 

8.87 
11.74 
8.  50 

53.43 
64.  57 

51.  (is 

;;  55 
3.80 

.  5 1875 

Oct     2 

Oct.       2 

1G.  10 
14.43 

10.47 

8.  50 

05.  03 

59.  37 

2.  14 

Oct.      3 

14.72 

9.  37 

0  ;.  to 

2.45 

Oct.     ;i 

15.  G9 

9.51 

00.01 

Oct.       3 

Oct.     :; 

Oct.       4 

242 

247 
252 

16.45 
16.60 

17.  78 

9.  03 
9.19 
1 0.  03 

55.  30 
50.51 

3.15 

■;.  -22 
3.  23 

'.'..'.'."." 

Oet.          1 

Oct.      4 

259 
263 

1-.  13 

17  32 

11.20 

60.77 

57.01 

2.71 

2.9-. 

'. . . . ... 

Oct.       5 
Oet.        G 

2(57 

17.48 
16.07 

S.  99 
9.19 

51.43 
57.0IJ 

4.  -.'(I 
3.03 

Oct.    o 

Oct.       7 

296 

16.81 

1 7.  53 

17.01 

9.  12 
11.81 
10.88 

51.25 

07.  ;;7 
64.55 

3.  13 

2.21 

Oct.     8 

9.  70 

Oct     it 

Oet.        9 

314 

15.41 

19    11 

8.  29 
It.  30 

3. 35 

""i.'o: 

Oct     lo 

31 S 

10.  79 

:;  ... 

On.     In 

On.    i! 

327 
332 

16.  81 

17. .0 

9.  32 

55.  74 

::.  Hi 

Oct.     11 

337 

12.35 

66.  17 

o.t.    12 

:;n 

18  11 

10.95 

0  t.  46 

2.  95 

Oet.      1J 

330 

17.7.1 

10.  - 

01.47 

Oet.      15 

355 

15.31 

50.00 

2.  95 

18.70 

11.01 

til.  71 

Oct.     1:'. 

363 

Oct.     17 

3(57 

17.96 

59.  1  7 

()t.     17 

Oet.       Ifl 

872 

377 

Lfl  06 

10.  1- 

10   ):; 

<M.       Ill 

17  87 

54.16 

<  i.  i     2  1 

R9I 

11   18 

; 

Oet.      20 

15.50 

o.t.    21 

414 

18.  IS 

10.98 

Oet.     23 

o.t.    :i 

432 

M.     D 

10  03 

1 :..  2 ; 

10.  so 

3.01 

100 


Table  XIX. — Diffusion  Juice. 


Date. 


No. 


Sept.  14 
Sept.  15 
Sept.  15 
Sept.  16 
S(  pt.  1G 
Sept  17 
Sept.  17 
Sept.  18 
Sept.  IS 
Sept.  21 

Sept.  22 
Sept  22 
Sept.  23 
Sept.  21 

Sept.  23 

Sept  23 
Sept.  24 
Sept  21 
Sept.  24 
Sept.  25 

Sept.  25 

Sept.  '-'•"» 
Sept.  25 
Sept.  20 
Ktpt.  26 
Sept.  27 
S<  pt.  -27 
■S.  pt.  27 
Oct.  1 
Oct. 
Oct 

Oct. 

Oct. 
Oct, 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct 
Oct, 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct 
Oot. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oot. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct 

Oct. 

Oct 
Oct 
Oot. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct, 
ii.  i 
Oct. 
Oi  i 


Total 
solids  by 
Brix   at 

17  5  . 


57 
CI 
65 
70 
74 
79 
91 
98 
102 
120 
124 
131 
135 
139 
141 
147 
151 
155 
If  9 
162 
160 
17(1 
174 
18»J 
184 
192 
196 
200 
209 
215 
218 
221 
224 

23  o 

2  r, 
243 
248 
253 
200 
264 
268 
270 
289 
293 
297 
305 
310 
315 
319 
328 
333 

815 
351 
356 
360 
364 
368 
376 
:!7k 
- 
395 

4<M 

ii  . 

Me. in 


Per 


7.  ii:. 
C.37 
.'.  13 

4.  38 

5.  14 

(i.  17 
(i  Oi 

6.  00 
4.81 
6.  55 
1.57 
r..  15 
6.31 
5.  40 

- 
7.01 
(i.  48 
6.00 

5.  33 

6.  92 
(i.  86 
8.94 
9  00 

8.  45 
10.25 
11.63 

9.  49 
9.00 
8.49 
8.01 
S.  30 
8.21 
7.10 

7  6Q 
0.  55 
7.91 
9.  12 
9.  00 
9.  55 
9.  75 
9.  89 

10.79 
10.07 
11.07 
11.21 
10.83 
9  82 
li.  95 
9.  1 1 
10.  15 

8  79 

7.  M 
7.80 
9.  on 

10.54 
0  07 

'.i.  38 
70 

I 


7 
8 

8.  25 
8.  23 


Purity 


8.00 


cent. 
4.  1G 
:;.  92 

2.71 

2.  (57 
3.40 

3.  57 
4.07 
4.21 
3.9"i 

2.  78 

3.  94 
2.77 
3.  19 
4.13 
3.  53 
3.  72 
4.49 
;:.  92 

3.  02 

;f.  72 

4.  12 
4.04 
5.24 
5.31 

4.  92 
5.91 

a  4.-. 

5.43 
;-  86 
4  72 

4.74 

4.  id 

4.00 
4.  (Hi 
4.  28 

3.  il 

4.  10 

5.  09 
4.99 
5.15 
:.  r,i 
5.  12  ' 
(i  30 

5.  92 
7.02 

6.  07 
6.  15 
5.  15 
5.  87 
5.  18 
5.  18 
5.60 
i  15 
l  91 
5.  62 
(i.  II 

l  5] 
5.31 
5.21 

4.  28 
i  94 
1.60 

4  G9 


59.01 
61.54 

52.  77 
60.  95 

64.07 
02.  90 
69.  62 
65.  Mi 

57.  79 
60.  15 
60.61 
51.53 
68.33 
65.  37 
63.48 
63.  7K 
60.49 
60.  33 
47.  72 
59.  53 

58.  60 

59.  (  0 
68.  23 
58  14 

57.  18 

57  22 
65.  1 1 
5-..  59 
59.  17 

53  7:; 
59.  68 
57.18 
55.87 
5.'.  oti 
55.62 

55.  8 1 
55  07 

53.  92 

57.  54 
51    78 

58.  78 
63.  il 

59.  ."o 
5<i.79 
•5  49 

58.  99 

56.  67 

51.03 
63.  70 
58.  7 1 
61.23 
6167 

57.  97 
57.97 
■    .6 

54  :;i 
51    13 

..i  vl 
.Mi.  72 

58  91 

58.  63 


Glucose. 


i 

1.G0 
1.21 
1.26 
.83 
.98 
1.00 

1.11 

.82 
.78 
.91 
1.19 
.94 
1.06 
1.00 
..-2 
1.03 
1.08 
1.  15 
1.05 
1.18 
1.10 
1.20 

1.  28 
1.60 
1  19 
1.51 

2.  26 
1.87 

1.53 
1.61 

2.  57 

1.53 
1.25 

1.  30 
1.38 

I   36 

1.31 
1.44 
1.42 


Albunii 
uoids. 


Per  cent 


1.42 
1.81 
1.80 
!  68 
1  62 
1.74 
1  91 
1.88 

1.4  1 

1.76 

2.  02 
1.30 

1.18 

1.24 

1.30 
1.78 

l   62 

1    u 

i   ..I 

2.  OK 
1.57 
1.56 

1 .  76 
_L72_ 

1.41 


.  2G250 


. 22500 


33131 


33750 


33150 
33125 


,2315 


28  137 
28125 


71*7 


101 

Table  XX.— Clarified  juice. 


Date. 


Oct. 
Oct 
Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 
Oct 

Oct. 
Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct.  10.... 

Oct.  11.... 
Oct.  11.... 
Oct.  12.... 
Oct.  12.... 
Oct.  13.... 
Oct.  l .').... 
Oct.  15 .... 
Oct.  17  ... 
Oct.  17  ... 
Oct.  18.... 

Oct.  19 

Oct.  'JO.... 
Oct.  20... 

Oct.  21 

Oct  23 

Oct.  23 

Oct.  24 

Highest  . 
A\  i 
Lowest  . 


No. 


2r»4 
2G1 
265 
209 
280 
290 
294 
298 
300 
311 
316 
32i) 
329 
334 
339 
346 
352 
357 
301 
305 
309 
374 
379 
389 
396 
409 
416 
426 
430 
434 


Total 

solids  by 
Brix  at 
17.5=. 


9.32 

9.  30 

9  97 

10.1(1 

14.45 

12.3a 

12.  98 

11.  50 

11.04 

11.80 

10.34 

10.61 

10.00 

10.  55 

9.  05 

7.92 

8.04 

9.  22 

11.23 

10.41 

8.14 

9.  45 

10.  08 

7.04 

8.90 

8.47 

8.32 

9.  24 

7.00 

8.77 


Sucrose.     Pnritv.     Glucose. 


Per  cent. 
5.  'JO 
4.9S 
5.  12 
5.71 
7.6S 
0.7G 
7.  50 
7.  23 
6.35 
0.57 
5.74 
6.01 
5.42 
5.  37 
5.  57 
4.01 
4.75 
5.59 
6.34 
5.46 
4.88 
5.  20 
5.  52 
4.17 

4.  63 
4.96 
4.57 

5.  57 
3.97 
4.49 


14.45 
9.91 
7.64 


7.68 
5.  55 
3.97 


Alburui- 
noids. 


57.  52 
54.  27 

54.  30 
50.  54 
53.15 
51.83 

58.  63 
04.  29 
57.22 
50.  2  4 

55.  51 
56.64 

54.  20 
50.90 
61.37 
58.21 

59.  08 
00.  o:; 

56.  46 
52.54 
59.  99 

55.  66 
44.81 
54.77 
51.72 
58.  67 
54.99 
00.  36 
50.34 
51.20 


Per  cent. 


04.  29 
55.81 
44.81 


Per  cent. 
1.48 
1.08 
1.  60 
1.46 
2.00 
2.20 
2.24    .. 

i.48      Lime. 

1.80  .30025     Sulphite  used. 

1.91    

.32510 


.43437 


1.72 

1.  6K 

1.76 

2.16 

1.30 

1.20  I 

1.14 

1.44 

1.86  ! 

1.84 

1.09  I 

1.00 

2.02 

1.43  i 

2.04 

1.  55 

LOO 

1.82 

1.75 

1.77 


2.  00 
1.71 
1.  09 


.324.-0 

.33750 
.25025 


.42500 


.31250 

.28125 
.27187 

'.20502' 
.271-:, 


.33125 


.43437 
.31871 
.25025 


No  lira©  used. 


Table  XXI. — Semi-sirup. 


Tot  nl 

Total 

Dato. 

No. 

solids  by 
Brix  at 
17.5  . 

Sucrose. 

Parity. 

Glu- 

Dale. 

No. 

solids  by 
hi i\. at 
17.5°. 

Sucrose. 

■■*■  S£ 

Per  rt. 

Peret. 

Per  et. 

Sept.  15 

41.10 

22.  17 

53. 17 

o  00 

Sept. 

57.70    10.01 

Sept.  15 

67 

::t.  io 

1  - 

5::.  13 

7.  Oil 

Sept.  27.     108 

37.  15 

22.31 

00.05      6.41 

Sept.  io 

72 

34.87 

19.17 

o  09 

Sept  27     20J 

23.  01 

Sept.  16. 

16 

17.63 

7.71 

Oct.        1. 

211 

35.  8'! 

21.50 

80.12      0.82 

Sept.  18 

94 

50.  40 

20.77 

53.  05 

8.0  4 

Oct.       2 

220 

87.  68 

21.90 

58.13      7.0  4 

Sept.  18. 

100 

37.  38 

23.  70 

5.01 

o  t       :: 

- 

23.  7 1 

0  73 

S,  pt.    18 

lol 

2  1  E  1 

5.  35 

()    t.       4 

38.  05 

22.  02 

57.02      6,50 

Sr,,t.  22. 

122 

17.34 

!t.  80 

Oct.     5 

271 

22.  73 

■     - 

Sept.  22. 

120 

B9.  12 

20  12 

'.).  55 

1  ..  t       0 

313 

30.  92 

02.51 

Bept.23. 

133 

33.  16 

13.06 

57.45 

Oct.     10 

- 

8.  23 

Sept.  23 

137 

li.  90 

Oct      11 

341 

8  28 

S.,,t.  23 

112 

81.90 

19.71 

81.70 

oct.    13 

89.  5o 

23.42 

0.79 

Sept.  24 

149 

i,l.  85 

8.44 

Oct.    19 

393 

Sept.  2t 

153 

25.  50 

7.30 

Oct.     21 

48.  io 

Sept.  24 

Sept.  25 

157 
10  J 

22.  7:i 
20.  53 

01.91 

0.  72 

Highest 

84.00 

48.  52 

04.55 

1C.01 

Sept     25 

172 

1 

12.  10 

Average 

11.22 

7.81 

Sept.  26. 

178 

2V  10 

1 

31.  ou 

17  :;i 

Sept  26 

182 

48.  57 

9.  1 1 

102 

Table  XXII.— Masse  cuiie. 


Date. 

No. 

Sucrose. 

Sucrose, 

double 
pol. 

Glucose.  Moisture. 

Sept.  12 

22 

Per  cent. 
30.  00 
53.  44 
54.34 
51.31 
55.  G  1 
51.60 

52.  80 

53.  50 

.' 

nt.  Percent. 
21.10      

First  strike. 
S.  conil  strike. 
Fourth  strike. 
Fifth  strike. 
Seventh  strike. 
Eighth  strike. 

Sixth  strike. 
Ninth  strike. 
Tenth  strike. 
Eleventh  stiike. 
Twelfth  sti  ike. 
Thirteenth  strike. 
Second  masse  cuite. 

Sept. -22 128 

Oct      3 2  9 

15.4:;  17.59 
17.05  16.50 
]5. 2i  20.85 
15. 57  20.70 
18.!):!  16.  815 
16.  OS  1D.-J4 
16.77  19.10 
16.43  22.25 
16.60  24.7.) 
17.69         21.4:; 

18.35  17.69 
19.02            23.00 

Oct.      8 

(  let.      * 

285 
303 
323 
326 

55.00 

52.  80 

HI.      8 

Oct   lo  

Oct.   10   

Oct    18 

Oct    18 

:  8 1          50.  oo 

381           40.  CO 

Oct    20 

Oct,    21 

Oct  30 

4!1            50.20 
419           51.60 
439           44.00 

55.00 
52.  80 
46.64 

57.  "0 

55.  60 

21.10    

50.48           53.41 
39.00  1         40.  64 

17.25  20.00 
15.  29 

Table  XXIII.— Sugar. 


Sept  19 

Ill 
129 

240 
283 
324 
348 
383 
385 
413 
421 
423 
437 
440 

89.  80 
03  51 
95.01 
95.  00 
91.08 
!)'..  00 
93.60 

93.  60 
96.00 
96.40 
94.40 
99  60 

94.  00 

First  si  like. 
Second  stiike. 
Fourth  strike. 
Fifth  sti  ike. 
Sixth  strike. 
Seventh  strike. 
Tenth  strike, 
l-'.h  \  <  nt  li  strike. 
Twelfth  strike. 
Thirteenth  strike. 

Rehoiled  snj:ar. 
S.  cond  su^ais. 

Sept.  29 



Oct     3 

Oct       6 

Oct.    10 

Oct    12 

Oct    18 

Oet.     18 

Oct.    20 



Oet.     21 

Oct.    21 

Oct    21 

Oct.    21  .. 

91).  60 
!'t.  45 

89.  80 

TABLE  XXIV.—  Molasses. 


Oct    3 

211 
-1 
325 
349 
382 
385 
412 
420 
422 
111 

36.  1 1 

-      1 

37. 1  o 
11  00 

46.  00 
39.  10 

42.  00 

1 

17.27 
1'.'  78 

18.  11 
21.29 

27.  66 
23.  59 

23.  05 

27.  76 
•jo.  05 

27.  08 

Fonrlh  strike. 
Fifth  Btrike. 

Sixth  stiike. 
Seventh  strike. 
Tenth  strike. 
Eleventh  stiike. 
Twelfth  strike. 

Thirl,  .nth  strike. 
Ninth  strike. 
1  row  seconds. 

(let.     6 

ii.  80 
39.  no 

41.11 

11.00 

".  I.  10 

Oct  12 

Oet.  18 

Oet.  18 

Oct  20 

Oet.  21 

",  i  21 

Oct. 30 

Bfghesl 



17.77 

16.  oo 

40  io 
88  11 

48.40 

22.  48 
1!).  17 

17. -j: 

25.  30 

103 

Table  XXV. — Ex  chips 


Total 

Total 

Date. 

No. 

solids  by 
Brix 

Su- 
croso. 

Purity. 

Glu- 
cose. 

Date. 

Xo. 

solids  by 
Brix 

Su- 
crose. 

Purity. 

Glu- 
cose. 

at  17.53. 

at  17.5^. 

P.  ct. 

P.ct. 

P.ct. 

P.ct. 

Sept.  14. 

58 

3.81 

1.43 

37.53 

.50 

Oct. 

3.. 

249 

3.36 

1.59 

47.35 

.50 

Sept.  15 

02 

3.  04 

1.43 

39.  29 

.70 

Oct. 

4- 

255 

4.72 

2.35 

10.  81 

.75 

Sept.  !5 

66 

2.90 

1.2:) 

44.48 

.50 

Oct. 

4.. 

262 

4.70 

2.38 

50.  0  1 

.72 

Sep  .  16. 

71 

2.  34 

.97 

41.45 

.35 

Oct. 

4.. 

3.50 

1 .  62 

45.51 

.01 

Sept.  16 

75 

3.10 

1.42 

45.  81 

.45 

Oct. 

0    - 

270 

3.08 

1.68 

45.  05 

.53 

Sept.  17 

80 

3.  73 

1.09 

4'..  :;l 

.55 

Oct. 

C. 

281 

0.00 

2.8) 

40.07 

.  99 

Sept.  18 

99 

3.88 

2.05 

52.  .-1 

.34 

Oct. 

6 

291 

0.  )7 

3.  58 

58.  02 

1.06 

Sept.  21 

121 

2.51 

.87 

34.  80 

.81 

Oot. 

7. 

295 

5.64 

3.00 

54.  25 

.03 

Sept.  22 

125 

2.  75 

1.59 

57.  82 

.44 

Oct. 

7. 

299 

5.70 

•J.  7o 

40.  87 

.02 

Sept.  22 

132 

1.95 

.?9 

45.  03 

.33 

Oct. 

8.. 

307 

4.  53 

2.  25 

49.07 

.08 

Sept.  23. 

i:i0 

2.  34 

1.04 

44.4  4 

.40 

Oct. 

!).. 

312 

4.58 

2.39 

52.  18 

.09 

Sept.  23 

J  40 

3.37 

1.58 

40.88 

.53 

Oct. 

9.. 

317 

4.  23 

2.  03 

47.  99 

.70 

Sept.  23 

148 

;;.  2:. 

1.52 

40.77 

.49 

Oct. 

10 

321 

4.29 

2.  03 

17.32 

.09 

Sept.  24 

152 

2.  70 

1.44 

52.  17 

.30 

Oct. 

10. 

330 

3.  93 

1.93 

49.11 

.00 

Sept.  24 

150 

2.70 

1 .  20 

40.  GO 

.47 

Oct. 

11. 

335 

5.12 

2.  50 

48.83 

1.12     | 

Sept.  24 

100 

3.57 

1.85 

51.82 

.48 

Oct. 

11 

340 

3.  85 

2.  13 

55.  32 

.27     1 

Sept.  25 

103 

1.97 

.94 

47.  72 

.32 

Oct, 

12. 

347 

5.ol 

2.r,l 

52.  10 

.70 

Sept.  25 

107 

3.81 

1.83 

47.  05 

.73 

Oct. 

12 

353 

3.68 

2.  00 

54.35 

.  53 

Sept,  25 

171 

3.40 

1.77 

51.  15 

.50 

Oct. 

13. 

358 

3.41 

1.80 

52.  94 

51 

Sept.  25 

L75 

2.  95 

1.  35 

45.  75 

.44 

Oct. 

15. 

302 

3.36 

1.01 

17.  92 

.50 

Sept.   26 

IKL 

2.  32 

1.21 

50  80 

.38 

Oct. 

15 

300 

3.77 

1.08 

4  4.  58 

.72 

Sept.  26 

185 

3.  60 

1.87 

51.84 

.57 

Oct. 

17. 

370 

3.30 

1.75 

53.  03 

.00 

.    Sep!    -: 

193 

3.  03 

1.49 

49.17 

.  50 

Oct. 

17. 

375 

3.  (M 

1.41 

47.  00 

.  50 

Sept.  27 

197 

3.97 

2.  04 

5!. 38 

.04 

Oct. 

18. 

380 

4.02 

1.65 

40.  05 

.77 

Sept.  27 

201 

3.  95 

2.01 

51.04 

.82 

Oct. 

18 

390 

4.00 

30.  00 

.  53 

I'ct.    l. 

210 

3.  18 

1.57 

49.37 

.42 

Oct. 

20 

397 

3.20 

1.00 

33.  12 

.01 

Oct.    1.. 

210 

2.  77 

1.49 

53.  79 

.51 

Oct. 

20 

410 

2.  99 

1   22 

40.  66 

.01 

Oct.    2  . 

219 

3.  50 

1.99 

50.  85 

.50 

Oct. 

21. 

417 

2.  10 

83 

40.47 

.34 

Oct.    -J. 

222 

3.07 

1.43 

40.  58 

.59 

Oct. 

23. 

427 

4.70 

2.  13 

40.  85 

.73 

Oct,    2 

225 

2  03 

1.56 

59.  32 

.41 

Oct. 

23. 

431 

3.18 

1.18 

37.  30 

.57 

Oct.    2. 

23] 

1.99 

l.Ol 

51.79 

.30 

Oct. 

24. 

435 

3.  40 

1.  19 

35.  00 

.47 

Oct.    3  . 
Ool     3 

Oct.    3 

233 
237 

244 

3.00 
3.42 
3.  93 

1.36 
1.75 
1.98 

45.  33 
51.17 
50.38 

.49 
.06 

Mc; 

3.  58 

1.72 

47.72 

.57 

Table  XXYI.—Jcidiiy  of  mill  juices. 
[Calculated  to  malic  acid] 


Date. 

Fresh  c 

hi]>  juice. 

Diffusion  of  juico. 

N 

p.  1 

N 

Per 

No 

Specific 

10 

ccllt 

No. 

Specific 

10 

cent. 

gravity. 

c.  c.    ot 

of 

gravity. 

c.  cof 

of 

NailO. 

acid. 

NaHO. 

acid. 

Oct.   10 

318 

.17 

319 

l.o:  84 

4   7 

.12 

Oct.    10    .     ... 

1.0078 

9.3 

.  23 

- 

5.7 

.14 

Oct.     11 

332 

1.0709 

0  9 

.  17 

333 

1.0401 

.09 

Oct.  11 

337 

1.0757 

7.8 

.  17 

338 

1.0327 

3.7 

.  0:1 

Oct.  12  

1.0757 

8  '_> 

.  29 

345 

(*) 

1    ) 

Oct  12 

350 

l.o„«.u 

7  0 

.  1!) 

351 

L.  02941 

Oct.  13   

3..". 

1.0013 

9.3 

.  23 

350 

■ 

3.3 

.08 

Oct.  15    

359 

1.0700 

7.7 

.  19 

300 

Lot,:. 

4.5 

.  11 

Oct     15   

l.er,l7 

7.3 

.  18 

1.035: 

4.6 

.  12 

•  id    17 

1.0717 

8.2 

.  20 

1.0260 

.  14 

Oct.  17 

8.  1 

.20 

3,73 

.  12 

Oct.  1 

377 

1.0704 

.  15 

1.0347 

2.  9 

Oct  19 

.  Ill 

-- 

1.0294 

2.7 

Oct  20 

3.1 

1  0322 

2,  s 

Oct.  20 

4.0 

.11 

1.0322 

•>  -, 

.  00 

<>,  t.  21 

111 

.Oil 

1 1  5 

1.0322 

.  00 

on.  23 

124 

1    o7   0 

5  o 

.12 

123 

.00 

Oct  23 

128 

1 

5.  8 

.  11 

1 

Oct  2 

Mc.m 

129 

1.0200 

*_± 

0.0 

.o7 
.17 

3.  0 

.09 

104 


T a b LF  XXVII.  —  l'i( i h  ch ip  ju ice. 
[Comparison  of  spindle  with  total  solids  found  by  drying.] 


Total 

Total  sol- 

Purity calculated  fiom— 

Date. 

Xo. 

Sucrose 

Glucose. 

solid*    by 

111': 

15.  J 

ids  found 

1  d;i- 

by  drying. 

Spindle. 

Total  solids. 

urj  big. 

• 

/'<  reent 

/'.    cent. 

Sept.  29 

a  - 

11.72 

J.  R5 

18.4!) 

17.38 

(53.  32 

67. 45 

Sept  23 

•JUT 

11. TJ 

IK  4!) 

17.36 

63.  32 

07  51 

Asbest   - 

Ort.   2     .. 

217 

11.74 

•J.  33 

18.  18 

16.60 

<;4.  57 

TO.  TJ 

Oct.  2... 

I'lT 

11.71 

•J.  33 

18  18 

10  68 

it  57 

To.  38 

Do. 

Oct.  8... 

304 

9.TG 

2.  8:» 

16.  P8 

15.  41) 

63.01 

Oct.fi 

B04 

9.  7ii 

16.  8-i 

15.52 

57.88 

Do. 

Oct.  11.. 

332 

i).  3*2 

::.45 

17.  ci) 

15.24 

61.15 

Oct  15.. 

3:9 

11.64 

2.  65 

18.70 

IT.  05 

61.71 

G8  27 

Oct  19.. 

38T 

9.  57 

3.4:5 

17.87 

15.9S 

54.  IC 

414 

7.37 

2.  e  1 

13.  5G 

11.  ill 

61.88 

J\Ii  an  .. 



10.43 

2.  84 

17.  41' 

15.92 

.'9.  03 

63.  31 

Tablk   XXVIII. — Diffusion  juice. 


Oct  1  .. 

209 

5.  86 

1.53 

9  00 

8.14 

05.  1 1 

Ti.no 

Oct  I... 

209 

5.  80 

1.53 

9  00 

8.  13 

65.  1 1 

72  0- 

a  ttbestoa. 

Oct  3... 

23G 

4.28 

1.38 

0.  62 

55.  8T 

G4.  05 

Oct  3... 

236 

4.28 

1.38 

7.  6G 

G  03 

61.5-1 

Do. 

Oct  10.. 

319 

5.  87 

1.44 

9.  95 

9.  01 

05.  1  5 

Oct  12  . 

345 

4.45 

1.18 

0.  7  4 

54.8:; 

66  Oj 

Oct.  IT. 

37:;  . 

5.31 

1.59 

9.34 

T.  09 

BH.  40 

Oct  'J!.. 

4  J.') 

5.  4:; 

1.  75 

!).  22 

8.  30 

58. '.II 

65.  42 

Oct  24.. 
Mean  . . 

433 

<.80 

1.72 

8.31 

T.  34 

5.  13 

1.50 

8.  01 

T.  GO 

58.  89 

GO.  80 

WORK  DONE  AT  THE  STERLING  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 


REPORT  OF  A.  A.  DENTON  AND  C.  A.  CRAMPTON. 

The  experimental  work  which  has  been  done  at  the  Sterling  Sugar 
Experiment  Station  was  wholly  in  the  line  of  improving  the  sorghum 
plant  with  a  view  to  increase  the  yield  of  sugar  from  sorghum  cane's, 
to  obviate  certain  physical  or  outward  faults  of  the  plant,  and  to  obtain 
varieties  which  are  less  variable  in  their  yield  of  sugar. 

It  is  probable  that  tin*  extraction  of  juice  from  sorghum  canes  has 
nearly  or  quite  reached  its  practical  limit,  and  that  diffusion  apparatus 
needs  only  to  be  improved  in  details  of  construction  which  is  more  prop- 
erly the  work  of  machinists. 

It  is  probable  that  the  evaporating  apparatus  used  in  sugar  manu- 
facture, the  triple  effect,  the  vacuum  pan,  etc.,  will  not  soon  be  very 
greatly  improved,  for  they  are  the  result  of  many  years  of  experiment 
by  scientists,  aided  by  the  most  skilled  engineers. 

There  remains,  however,  a  very  important  and  promising  field  for  ex- 
perimental work  in  the  line  of  sugar  manufacture,  and  that  is  the  im- 
provement of  the  sorghum  plant  upon  which  the  sorghnm -sugar industry 
depends  for  ultimate  success. 

The  importance  and  necessity  of  such  work  has  been  recognized  by 
everyone  who  has  been  engaged  in  the  development  of  the  industry,  but 
very  little  lias  been  actually  done  in  that  direction  ;  the  greatest  atten- 
tion has  been  devoted  to  the  methods  of  extraction  and  manufacture, 
while  the  quality  of  the  raw  material  has  been  neglected. 

If  improved  varieties  of  sorghum  were  developed,  as  improved  va- 
rieties of  the  sugarcane  or  of  the  sugar-beet  have  been  developed,  a 
successful  future  for  the  sorghum-sugar  industry  in  competition  with 
the  sugar-cane  and  the  sugar  heel  industries  could  be  confidently  a8- 
Burcd. 

In  illustration  of  this  disability  which  hinders  the  sorghum-sugar  in- 
dustry, it  is  proper  to  recall  the  fact  that  the  new  beet  sugar  factories 
erected  this  year  in  California  imported  beet  sv^\  from  Europe  at  heavj 

cost,  because  there  the  sugar-beet  has  been  bred  up  and  improved  by 
many  years  of  persistent  effort  by  experts  in  that  line,  so  that  this  Eu- 
ropean improved  beet  ^'v<\  produces  at  once  in  California  beets  which 
contain  from  11  to  20  per  cent,  of  sugar.  New  sorghum-sugar  factories 
have  been  built  this   season  in  Ka!18as,  but  they  can   nowhere   procure 


106 

similar  improved  sorghum  seed,  for  the  sorghum  plant  has  yet  to  be  de- 
veloped and  improved.  As  an  instance  of  the  necessity  for  the  exer- 
cise of  care  in  the  selection  of  seed,  the  experience  of  two  of  the  new 
factories  this  season  may  be  cited.  One  of  us  visited  the  factories  at 
Douglass  and  Conway  Springs  at  the  beginning  of  the  season,  about 
September  7.  At  the  latter  place  there  was  great  complaint  of  the  qual- 
ity of  the  early  cane  ;  seed  had  been  obtained,  supposed  to  be  pure  Early 
Amber,  but  seed  of  later  varieties,  such  as  Orange,  had  been  allowed  to 
become  mixed  with  it  in  considerable  quantities,  and  the  result  was  a 
field  of  cane  of  which  the  greater  part  was  fully  ripe  and  ready  for 
working,  while  a  portion  was  still  green,  with  the  seed  not  yet  out  of 
the  dough.  It  required  entirely  too  much  labor  to  separate  it  in  the 
field,  and  when  the  cane  was  cut  and  brought  to  the  factory  the  green 
cajie  lowered  the  average  of  the  whole  to  such  an  extent  that  it  was 
hardly  lit  to  work  for  sugar.  At  Douglass  about  100  acres  had  been 
planted  for  early  cane,  with  seed  supposed  to  be  Early  Amber.  As  the 
factory  was  greatly  delayed  in  starting  up,  fears  had  been  entertained 
that  this  cane  was  overripe  and  deteriorating.  Examination  showed 
this  "early  cane"  to  be  not  Early  Amber  at  all,  but  the  old-fashioned 
Chinese,  a  variety  which,  with  us  at  least,  did  not  attain  its  maximum 
of  sugar  content  until  quite  late  in  the  season.  Had  the  factory  got- 
ten into  operation  by  the  middle  of  August,  as  they  expected,  they 
would  have  found  their  "early  cane"  entirely  too  green  to  make  sugar. 

THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  EXPERIMENTAL  WORK  AT    THE   STERLING  SUGAR 
EXPE  B I M  BNT    STATION. 

In  the  spring  of  1888  the  Sterling  Sirup  Works  planted  all  the  varie- 
ties of  sorghum  which,  with  the  time  and  means  at  their  command,  they 
could  procure  in  this  or  in  foreign  countries,  in  an  experimental  field, 
under  as  similar  conditions  as  possible,  in  order  to  enable  them  to  com- 
pare the  qualities  of  the  canes  of  the  numerous  varieties,  with  a  view 
to  -electing  the  best  varieties  for  fc tare  cultivation.  They  had  in  mind 
a  similar  experimental  plantation  in  Jamaica,  where  sixty  to  seventy 
varieties  of  the  sugar-cane  have  tor  many  years  been  grown  in  order  to 
select  the  Varieties  which  were  best  sniteil  to  the  West  Indies,*  the  re- 
SUlt  Of  which  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  an  improved  variety  ol'sngar  cane, 
which  is  sometimes  called  "Jamaican,"  because  it  was  grown  at  and  in- 
troduced by  the  Jamaica  experimental  station,  is  now  giving  an  ex- 
traordinary yield  ol'sngar  in  many  places. 

They  were   induced  to  undertake  this  experimental  work    by  the   ne- 

c<  —dies  of  their  business.     In  the  past  seven  years  they  have  produced, 
each  year,  from  500  to  700  acres  of  cane,  and  have  manufactured  the 

*  Analyses  of  samples  of  these  differenl  varieties  from  a  collection  exhibited  at  the 
Orleans  Exposition  in  1885  were  made  by  C.  A.  Crampton,  at  the  Sugar  LaVo- 
ratorj  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  in  itsexhibit.    The  results  of  these  analyses 
were  published  i».\  Prof.  Morris  in  the  Jamaica  Official  <•<(•<  lie 


107 

crop.  Each  year  they  have  planted  the  common  varieties,  and  also 
varieties  new  to  them  which  they  could  readily  procure.  The  selection 
of  better  varieties  and  the  improvement  of  the  quality  of  the  canes  is 
a  matter  of  importance  to  them,  as  it  is  to  all  others  who  are  concerned 
En  the  sorghum  industry. 

It  appeared  to  the  Sterling  Sirup  Works  that  the  first  step  to  be 
taken  in  improving  the  sorghum  plant  was  to  collect  as  many  varieties 
as  possible,  from  all  localities  where  sorghum  is  grown,  to  acclimate 
them,  and  to  practically  test  the  numerous  varieties  in  all  the  points 
which  constitute  a  good  variety  of  sorghum. 

It  is  now  to  be  regretted  that  a  much  more  extended  search  was  not 
made,  in  this  and  in  foreign  countries,  for  other  rare  and  unknown 
varieties,  but  they  then  regarded  this  year's  work  as  only  the  beginning 
of  a  private  research  which  would  continue  for  some  years. 

The  object  of  the  experimental  work  was  to  improve  the  sorghum 
plant. 

(1)  Improved  varieties  of  sorghum  should  be  developed,  producing 
banes  of  uniform  saccharine  quality,  to  lessen  the  unusual  variableness 
which  now  characterizes  the  sorghum  plant. 

(2)  The  physical  or  outward  ciiaracterof  the  canes  should  be  improved 
to  obviate  faults  and  also  to  increase  the  yield  of  cane  in  tons  per  acre. 

(3)  The  percentage  of  cane  sugar  in  the  juices  of  the  cane  should  be 
increased. 

(4)  The  percentage  of  substances  in  the  juice  which  lessen  the  yield 
of  sugar  should  be  diminished. 

THE  NECESSITY  FOR  IMPROVING  THE  SORGHUM  PLANT. 

The  sorghum  plant  is  adapted  to  large  areas  of  the  country  which  are 
not  adapted  to  the  production  of  sugar  from  the  sugar  cane  or  from  the 
lugarbeet,  It  is  especially  adapted  to  the  dry  clim  ate  of  the  great  West. 
Its  cultivation  is  suited  to  the  habits  of  the  farming  population.  When 
the  sorghum  plant  lias  been  successfully  developed  and  improved  as 
other  sugar-producing  plants  have  been  improved,  the  sorghum-sugar 
industry  will  prosper  and  will  employ  capital  and  labor  in  producing 
the  sugar  which  we  now  import. 

Tin:  FAULTS  OF  THE  SORGHUM  PLANT. 

The  sorghum  plant  is  sometimes  a  good  sugar-producing  plant,  some- 
times it  is  merely  a  sirup-producing  plant.  This  variability  in  the 
chemical  composition  of  its  juices  is  what  might  be  expected  from  a 
plant  which  has  not  yet  been  bred  up  to  fixed  types  of  excellence  by 

long-continued  selections  of  seed  from  the  finest  plants  of  tin'  best 
varieties. 

In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  in  17  17  the  chemist 
MarggralV  was  able  to  extract  5  per  cent,  of  sugar  from  the  beet:    fifty 


108 

years  afterwards  the  chemist  Achard  was  able  to  extract  but  1  per 
cent,  of  sugar,  and  the  eminent  chemist  Sir  Humphrey  Davy  published 
positive  assertions  that  beet  sugar  could  not  be  made  profitably,  an  I 
that  it  was  not  fit  for  use.  Sixty-five  years  after  Marggraff  had  ex- 
tracted 5  per  cent,  of  sugar  from  the  beet  the  beet-sugar  factories 
realized  only  2  per  cent,  of  sugar  from  it.  These  facts  seem  to  indicate 
that  t lie  sugar  beet  was  variable  until  the  plant  had  been  developed. 

Besides  the  variability  of  the  sorghum  plant  there  are  other  faults 
which  pertain  in  greater  or  less  degree  to  the  different  varieties.  Some 
varieties  are  long  and  slender  reeds  with  heavy  seed  tops  and  the  canes 
are  liable  to  lodge  and  tangle  in  storms.  This  fault  greatly  increases  tin1 
difficulty  of  harvesting  the  canes,  and  the  "down"  or  lodged  canes  arc 
also  inferior  in  saccharine  value.* 

Some  varieties  "  tiller;"  that  is,  one  root  produces  several  canes,  just 
as  one  grain  of  wheat  produces  several  stalks.  It  is  injurious  because 
the  secondary  canes  ripen  at  different  periods,  and  in  harvesting  large 
fields  of  cane  it  is  impossible  to  avoid  mixing  overripe,  ripe,  and  unripe 
canes.  Some  varieties  have  a  habit  of  producing  false  or  secondary 
seed-heads.  As  soon  as  the  cane  approaches  maturity,  and  often  before 
that  period,  it  forms  two  or  more  new  seed-heads,  which  rapidly  de- 
velop. This  delays  the  ripening  of  the  cane  and  lessens  the  yield  of 
sugar.  Some  varieties,  as  soon  as  fully  mature,  produce  offshoots  from 
each  joint  of  the  canes  and  also  offshoots  from  the  roots,  and  the  sugar 
in  such  rapidly  disappears.  Some  varieties  rapidly  deteriorate  in  the 
quality  of  the  juice  as  soon  as  they  are  ripe,  and  allow  little  time  to 
manufacture  the  canes.  Some  varieties  mature  very  small  seeds,  and 
these  produce  plants  which  are  weak  and  slow-growing  in  the  first 
weeks  of  their  existence  and  are  kept  clear  from  the  more  vigorous 
weeds  with  greater  difficulty  than  the  stronger  plants,  which  are  pro- 
duced by  larger  seeds.  Some  varieties  have  \ cry  impure  juice  and 
some  have  strongly  acid  juice.  Some  varieties  give  light  yield  of  cane, 
light  yield  of  juice,  and  light  yield  of  seed.  Some  varieties  obstinately 
retain  the  glume  or  envelope  of  the  seed  grains,  so  that  it  can  not  well 
be  separated  by  ordinary  means.  Analyses  seem  to  show  that  the  clean 
grain  of  sorghum  seed  is  practically  equal  in  value  to  corn  as  food  for 
stock,  but  the  adhering  glume  or  envelope  contains  tannin,  which  is 
injurious;  and  some  varieties  contain  much  of  this  substance  and  some 
but  little.  Some  varieties  mature  so  late  that  tliey  give  but  little  time 
to  manufacture  the  canes  before  fr08t« 

*  Tins  detei  ioratiou  of  lodged  cane  has  been  often  noted  before,  but  '.he  following 
aualysis,  made  al  this  station,  may  Berve  to  emphasize  it: 


SolWlf 


/•./■.  .. ' 

mple  si  muling  rune "'■  ''■' 

Same  oi  ilown  oaue  <a  Lbe  sa pint, only  sound  stalks 

i  iki  n     ' 


Sucrose.    Glucose 


Per  cent. 
11.02 


2.  03 


:t.  57 


109 

THE  FAULTS  OF  THE  SORGHUM  PLANT  AND  OF  THE  SUGAR  BEET 

COMPARED. 

The  sugar  beet  contains  mineral  substance  which  lessens  the  yield 
of  sugar.  Asa  rule  these  mineral  substances  in  the  j  nice  vary  indi- 
rectly as  the  sugar  varies;  that  is,  the  greater  the  percentage  of  sugar 
the  lower  the  percentage  of  mineral  substance. 

Sorghum  contains  glucose  in  the  juice,  and  this  lessens  the  yield  of 
sugar.  As  a  rule  the  percentage  of  glucose  in  the  juice  varies  inversely 
as  the  percentage  ot  sugar  varies,  that  is,  the  greater  the  percentage 
of  sugar  the  less  the  percentage  of  glucose. 

The  beet  has  also  physical  or  outward  faults.  It  is  a  biennial  plant; 
it  stores  sugar  the  first  season,  it  produces  seed  the  second  season. 
Sorghum  is  an  annual  plant;  it  produces  sugar  and  also  seed  in  one 
season;  but  when  it  has  produced  its  sugar  and  its  seed  it  often  attempts 
a  second  crop  of  seed,  and  this  lessens  the  yield  of  sugar. 

The  sugar  beet  sometimes  makes  a  "second  growth."  Sorghum  some- 
times sends  out  offshoots  from  every  joint  and  offshoots  from  the  roots. 

The  sugar-beet  is  sometimes  hollow.  Sorghum  canes  are  sometimes 
pithy  and  contain  but  little  juice. 

The  sugar-beet  is  sometimes  attacked  by  the  "brown  penetration,"  a 
discoloration  of  the  beet  which  lessens  the  yield  of  sugar.  Sorghum 
canes  sometimes  have  brown  or  red  spots  in  the  interior  of  the  canes. 
The  sugar-beet  often  had  faults  of  form;  it  had  forked  roots,  making 
harvesting  the  beets  and  cleaning  them  from  dirt  more  difficult.  Sor- 
ghum also  has  faults  of  form. 

CAN  THE  SORGHUM  PLANT  BE  IMPROVED? 

Judging  by  all  analogies,  the  sorghum  plant  can  be  very  greatly  im- 
proved by  intelligent  and  long-continued  selection.  Stirpiculture  in  the 
animal  kingdom  has  given  us  the  Cotswold  sheep,  the  Poland-China 
hog,  the  .Jersey  cow,  and  the  Norman  horse.  In  the  vegetable  kingdom 
it  has  given  us  the  Peabody  coin,  the  Zinfandel  grape,  the  Lapice  su- 
garcane, and  the  Klein- Wauzlebcn  sugar-beet.  It  lias  been  truly  said, 
H  Wherever  and  with  whatever  plant  selection  of  the  best  for  seed  has 
been  long  con  tinned  wonderful  results  have  been  obtained."'  Darwin 
■aid,  "Let  any  common  plant,  even  a  roadside  weed,  for  instance,  be 
grown  on  a  large  scale,  and  let  a  sharp-sighted  gardener  select  and 
propagate  slight  variations,  and  see  if  new  varieties  do  not  result." 
Kuauer  started  with  a  variety  of  the  sugar- beol  which  contained  but  11 
her  cent,  of  sugar;  he  improved  it  by  selecting  the  best  tor  seed  until  he 
produced  the  ••  Imperial*'  variety,  which  contained  KJ  per  cental'  sugar. 
beprez  el  Fils,  1>\  selection  of  seed  from  the  best  mots,  produced  three 
varieties  which  contained  from  11  to  hi  per  cent,  of  sugar.  Yilniorin, 
the  celebrated  horticulturist  of  France,  created  the  "Improved  Vii« 
Biorin,"  improved  in  form  and  in  \  ield  of  SUgar,     There  are  no  apparent 


110 

reasons  why  the  sorghum  plant  may  not  be- improved  b\  diligent  use 

of  similar  methods. 

THE   METHODS   OF   IMPROVING   THE   PLANT. 

The  principal  methods  of  improving  the  plant  may  be  stated  as  fol- 
lows : 

(1)  By  growing  and  testing  all  known  varieties  and  selecting  the  most  promising. 

(•J)  By  hybridizing  or  crossing  these  varieties. 

('A)  By  preserving  "'sports''  or  variations. 

(4)  By  selecting  seed  from  the  finest  individual  canes  of  each  variety. 

(o)  By  improved  methods  of  cultivation. 

All  of  these  methods  have  been  practiced  to  a  greater  or  less  extent 
in  the  work  at  this  station,  and  the  results  will  be  set  forth  in  the  order 
given  above.  It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  the  results  ac- 
complished in  this  direction  by  one  season's  work  can  be  at  best  but  a 
mere  beginning.  To  attain  the  end  desired  in  the  improvement  of  the 
plant  the  continuation  of  such  work  over  a  series  of  years  is  indispen- 
sable. If  this  season's  work  and  the  methods  pursued  will  serve  to 
point  out  the  necessity  and  importance  of  this  line  of  investigation, 
and,  in  general,  the  manner  in  which  it  may  be  best  carried  out,  a  great 
deal  will  have  been  accomplished.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  call  atten- 
tion" to  tin;  desirability  of  following  up  the  system  of  development  thus 
opened  up;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  opportunity  may  be  afforded  the 
Department  in  the  future  to  carry  on  this  work,  which  promises  to  be 
of  the  greatest  value  to  the  sorghum  industry. 

1.  Experiments  in  Growing  Different  Varieties  of  Cane. 

It  is  probable  that  all  varieties  of  sorghum  are  not  equally  well 
adapted  to  all  localities  where  sorghum  is  grown. 

Some  varieties  have  peculiarities  which  cause  them  to  succeed  best 
in  certain  places.  The  Early  Amber,  for  instance,  probably  succeeds 
better  and  has  more  valuable  qualities  in  Iowa  than  in  Texas. 

There  is  an  analogy  in  this  with  other  plants.    A  Rhenish  variety  ot 

the  grape  succeeds  best  in  dry  soil.      A    Swiss  variety  succeeds  best    in 

wet  climates.  Spanish  varieties  of  wheat  do  not  succeed  in  Germany. 
English  wheat  does  not  thrive  in  India. 

To  select  the  best  varieties  Of  SOrghum  for  a  given  locality  it  is  nec- 
essary to  grow  all  known  varieties  there  and  to  select  those  which  pros- 
per best  under  its  condil ions. 

It  is  not  now  easy  to  collect  sv<'(\  of  numerous  varieties  of  sorghum. 
The  common  varieties  only  are  for  sale  by  seed  dealers;  other  varieties 
can   only  be  found   among   distant    cane-growers   in   t  his  and  in  foreign 

countries.    In  collecting  many  varieties,  duplicates  of  some  varieties  are 

obtained,  because  a  single  variety  often  "lias  many  names.  This  18  nat- 
ural in  foreign  countries,  where  different  languages  are  used;  but  in 
our  own  country   the  same  variety  often   has  many  names,  which  are 


Ill 

usually  derived  from  some  peculiarity  of  tbe  plant.  This  is  also  true  of 
other  plants.  It  is  said  that  all  the  varieties  of  tbe  sugar-beet  may  be 
classed  in  four  groups;  there  seem  to  be  twenty-three  principal  varie- 
ties, whieh  have  several  hundred  names. 

The  varieties  of  sorghum  oiten  ean  not  be  distinguished  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  seed  alone,  or  even  by  the  seed-heads  alone.  They 
ean  best  be  classed  by  observing  the  growing  canes.  Varieties  which 
have  long  been  grown  under  very  different  conditions  often  vary  enough 
from  the  usual  type  to  be  classed  as  subvarieties.  The  Chinese  cine 
from  Australia  differs  in  some  respects  from  the  Chinese  from  Central 
America,  and  that  differs  in  some  respects  from  the  Chinese  of  this 
country. 

These  facts  add  to  the  difficulty  of  classifying  the  numerous  varieties 
of  sorghum.  Sorghum  is  also  grown  in  opposite  hemispheres,  and  the 
proper  season  to  collect  varieties  in  one  country  is  not  the  proper  sea- 
son in  another  country. 

ACCLIMATIZATION   OF   VARIETIES. 

In  growing  and  comparing  varieties  of  sorghum  which  have  been 
obtained  from  different  localities  it  is  necessary  to  consider  acclimati- 
zation. Plants,  as  well  as  men  and  animals,  require  time  to  adjust  them- 
selves to  new  conditions.  Linnaeus  said  seed  from  tobacco  grown  in 
Sweden  ripened  a  month  earlier  than  that  from  foreign  seed.  Seed  corn 
taken  from  Virginia  to  New  England  ripens  with  difficulty  the  first 
season.  Seed  corn  taken  from  New  England  to  latitude  45°  ripens  with 
difficulty  the  first  season.  In  botli  cases  they  mature  perfectly  in  their 
new  homes  after  a  few  seasons-  European  plants  produced  in  India, 
from  seeds  grown  in  India  a  few  seasons,  succeed  better  than  from 
directly  imported  seeds. 

These  facts  indicate  that  it  is  necessary  to  acclimate1  varieties  of  sor- 
ghum procured  from  localities  which  have  different  conditions  of  soil 
and  climate  before  correct  comparisons  of  their  qualities  can  be  made 

In  the  experimental  work  at  this  station  it  was  especially  noticeable 
that  varieties  of  SOrghUW  received  from  localities  Laving  long  and  warm 
growing  seasons  produced  larger  canes,  which  matured  later  than  the 
same  varieties    from  Northern    localities.     It   was   also  noticeable  that 

varieties  received  from  localities  which  have  little  rainfall  succeeded 

better  this  season  than  the  same  varieties  received  from  localities  hav- 
ing excessive  rain-tall. 

It  is  obvious  that  a  plant  may  be  removed  man\  thousand  miles  with 
slight    change  of  environment    and    that    it    maybe   easily   acclimated. 

It  is  also  obvious  that  a  plant  may  be  removed  a  comparatively  short 
distance  with  considerable  change  of  conditions  ami  may  be  acclimated 
with  difficulty.  It  seems  to  require  three  years  t»>  acclimate  vai 
of  sorghum  which  have  been  grown  under  very  different  conditions. 
These  tacts  require  consirioratiou  when  making  selections  from  unmer 
mis  varieties  grown  t  1m  !irst  time  in  tins  country. 


112 

VARIETIES   GROWN  AT   THE   STERLING  EXPERIMENT   STATION. 

There  were  about  250  different  plots  of  sorghum  grown  at  this  station  $ 

of  these  150  were  crosses,  selected  by  Mr.  Denton  ;  the  remaining  100 
plots  were  planted  with  varieties  presumably  distinct,  though  more 
than  one  plot  was  planted  of  a  few  standard  varieties  from  seed  obtained 
from  different  localities.  Of  those  supposed  to  be  distinct  varieties,  how- 
ever, though  sent  in  under  different  names,  many  were  found  to  be  dupli- 
cates, showing  minor  variation  perhaps,  but  not  sufficient  to  entitle 
them  to  classification  as  distinct  varieties. 

For  instance,  seeds  of  the  well-known  variety  Kcrt  Libenan  were 
received  bearing  the  names  u African,"  "  Sumac,"  " Clubhead,"  ul\io 
Bianco,"  etc.;  samples  of  Honduras  seed  were  named  "  Honey  cane," 
"Broom  cane,"  "Silver  top;"  samples  of  Chinese  cane  seed  were  re- 
ceived as  "New  sugarcane,"  and  "Sorghum  saccharatum."  It  will  be 
seen  in  the  following  analyses  that  seeds  of  the  same  varieties  received 
from  different  localities  produced  canes  of  quite  different  qualities. 

Thirty-six  of  the  varieties  proved  to  be  non- saccharine,  useful  for  forage 
purposes,  but  not  containing  enough  saccharine  matter  to  be  of  value  as 
sugar- producing  plants.* 

In  addition  to  most  of  the  varieties  grown  in  the  United  States  the 
list  includes  many  obtained  from  Asia,  Africa,  and  South  America. 
The  seeds  of  many  foreign  varieties  were  injured  by  dampness  and  by 
insects;  of  some  of  these  not  a  single  seed  germinated. 

The  experimental  lots  varied  in  size,  some  containing  a  tew  acres  of 
each  variety  and  some  containing  150  hills  of  cane,  and  of  some  varie- 
ties but  a  few  canes  were  grown.  In  the  experimental  grounds  of  the 
Jamaica  Botanical  Gardens,  where  sixty  to  seventy  varieties  of  sugar- 
cane are  grown,  each  variety  occupies  from  one  half  to  one-third  of  an 
acre.  This  seems  to  be  the  proper  size  for  experimental  lots,  as  it 
allows  selections  of  seed  to  be  made  from  the  best  canes  of  each  variety. 
Moreover,  foreign  seeds  often  germinate  poorly,  and  when  small  plots 
are  planted  there  is  often  not  a  single  cane  of  sonic  varieties  produced, 

as  was  the  case  here. 

COMPARISON    OF   THE    VARIETIES    B3     ANALYSIS. 

It  is  not  an  easy  matter,  as  mighl  seem  to  be  the  ease  at  first  Bight, 
to  make  a  comparison  of  different  varieties  by  the  analysis  of  juices 
from  selected  samples.     In  the  first  place,  to  make  a  fair  comparison 

between  varieties  they  should  be  taken  at  their  maximum  of  maturity, 

and  this  is  a  point   which  can    not   be  determined   by  any  outward  sign, 

but  only  by  actual  analysis.    Then  the  difficulties  of  sampling  can  only 

be  properly  appreciated  by  one  who  i^  familiar  with  them.    Add  to  these 

t  In-  d  1  t'li  en  1  ties  of  comparison,  t  he  obstacles  in  the  way  of  always  getting 

uniform  conditions  in  the  growth  of  tiie  plots  themselves,  attacks  of 

"Of  the  1 1- >n  saccharine  varieties,  20  were  derived  from  Cbiua,  B  fronvAfi  10a,  '■'>  from 
[ndia,  and  r>  from  1  Ins  count  ry  ;  1  be  seed  from  all  t  lies.'  were  carefully  preserved,  and 
will  be  distributed  bj  the  Department  Mm  v  will  doubtless  i»r<>\  »■  new  and  valuabjq 
acquis!  ions  a  i  lorn  go  plants. 


113 


Hiincli  bugs  in  one  plot  and  not  in  another,  a  sandy  spot  in  one  and  not 
in  another,  imperfect  germination  of  seed  in  one  plot  causing  a  thin 
stand,  while  in  other  plots  the  canes  stand  close  together,  and  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  task  of  differentiating  between  varieties  by  growing 
them  in  plots  and  submitting  the  canes  produced  to  analysis  is  by  no 
means  an  easy  one.  It  is  a  very  complex  problem.  One  season's  work 
should  never  be  held  conclusive ;  a  variety  may  have  been  placed  at  a 
disadvantage  from  some  one  of  numerous  possible  causes. 

In  the  work  here  the  varieties  were  analyzed  as  often  as  possible,  to 
avoid  the  error  of  haviug  analyses  of  either  unripe  or  overripe  canes  to 
compare  with  the  analyses  of  other  varieties  at  their  maximum;  the  high- 
est analysis  in  the  series  may  be  taken  as  the  basis  of  comparison.  The 
error  of  sampling  was  avoided  as  much  as  possible  by  taking  good  sized 
samples,  and  by  having  them  all  taken  by  one  and  the  same  person.* 
The  errors  arising  from  differences  of  growth  were  augmented,  unfortu- 
nately, by  irregularities  in  the  time  of  planting;  some  lots  of  seed  being- 
received  very  late  in  the  spring.  The  time  of  planting  is  noted  with 
each  plot. 

EARLY   VARIETIES. 

Several  of  these  gave  very  satisfactory  results,  so  far  as  early  ripening 
was  concerned.  The  late  date  at  which  the  laboratory  was  established 
at  the  station  did  not  admit  of  many  analyses  before  they  had  passed 
their  maximum  of  maturity.  In  the  case  of  the  Early  Tennessee  and 
Whiting's  Early  Variety  this  point  had  probably  been  passed  before 
any  analysis  was  made. 


Plot. 

I>;it.-. 

No.  of 
analysis. 

DcL'V.  i 

liiix. 

Sucrose. 

Co-efficient 
of  purity. 

Rema 

1    \ 

All-:.  24 
Sept    1 

S,  p|.  In 

3 

18.03 
16.09 
15.  99 

/'.  >■  t  nt. 
12.88 

1 1 .  -J4 
10.53 

] .  92 

'J.  04 
1.54 

71.44 

1  Swain                     tide  n 
planted  Ma\  -.  produced 
[     from  seed  w  bioh  was  i>  a 

Old  ;    tin-     r  ;i  n  c  B 

I     wore  good ;  unmixed. 
K.u  Is   Tennessee,  planted 
M;i\   8,  matures  .n  Irani 

.  ^ 

134 

10  J            s, 

Aim.  24 
Au-.  31 

r. 

50 

15.51 

13.  OH 

0.  i  l 

1.90 

- 
19.24 

ten   days    earlier    than 
A  in'"                   uies  are 

sin. ill   imi   n   i^  worth} 
of  further    trial  on  .«• 

Li   of  It--  'Ml  1 

1  Whiting's  early    var  el  > 
planted    Maj    19.     Thin 
ii<  i\  mi  N.  «  Sfork 
from  i 
A'M  tin-  on] 
ripeui  <l  before  i 
|      r  ti,  1.1  nt    i:...l\  A  mix  i 
<ll     ml 

v 

An;,  -jr. 

Sept    8 

Sept    8 

19 

113 

128 

15.72 
1 1.52 

:•.  68 

61.  IS 

51.  17 

i  [pen  i  h  «•  « ' '  l>-  '  ai  1  n 
J     ill. iii   Rarlj  Amb 

>hnv  ■  I 

Early     A  ra  l>  o  i 

« In'  i 

tbal    i bta    mrh  ' n     «•»■' 

tut  ined  i>\ 

234   

48 

l.  18 

• 

th.in 

Another  plol  • 

-  Mr.  Denton  did  all  tbo  sampling  himself. 

1 1056— Bull.  LM) s 


114 


EARLY  AMBEB. 

This  is  the  most  widely  known  of  all  the  varieties  of  sorghum.  It  was 
included  in  almost  every  collection  of  seeds  obtained  in  this  or  in  foreign 
couutries.  It  was  obtained  from  Australia,  from  Algeria,  and  from 
South  Africa,  which  shows  its  wide  distribution. 

It  is  an  excellent  variety  for  sirup  and  for  sirup-making  if  the  canes 
are  cat  when  in  their  Lest  condition.  The  juice  is  then  comparatively 
pure  and  has  a  pleasant  taste.  It  deteriorates  rapidly  in  this  climate 
soon  after  it  matures.  This  is  a  serious  fault  iu sugar  manufacture  where 
very  large  fields  of  this  variety  are  grown.  It  also  yields  less  weight 
of  cane  and  less  seed  than  many  other  varieties.  It  will,  however,  re- 
tain a  place  in  the  list  of  varieties  planted  for  sugar  manufacture.  It 
probably  succeeds  better  in  Minnesota  and  Iowa  than  in  Louisiana  and 
Texas. 

There  are  several  sub  varieties  of  Early  Amber ;  the  Black  Amber, 
the  White  Amber,  the  (iolden  Sirup,  the  Cape  May  Hybrid,  etc.  The 
early  varieties  given  above  might  be  considered  subvarieties  of  the 
Early  Amber,  as  they  were  undoubtedly  derived  from  it. 

In  the  experimental  field  Early  Amber  was  planted  at  intervals  from 
May  5  to  duly  5,  and  one  lot  ripened  alter  another,  prolonging  the  time 
for  analyzing  the  canes.  Seeds  of  Early  Am  her  received  from  wideh  dif- 
ferent localities  were  planted  to  compare  the  qualities  and  to  observe 
differences.  Amber  was  also  often  planted  near  lots  of  unknown  varie- 
ties to  assist  in  determining  their  time  of  maturity.  It  isevident  that 
many  circumstances  affect  and  vary  the  time  of  maturing  of  a  new 
variety.  By  comparing  it  with  a  well-known  variety  such  as  tin* 
Amber,  planted  under  the  same  conditions,  its  time  of  maturing  in  any 
season  can  be  accurately  determined. 

The  first  analysis  was  made  August  24,  at  which  time  the  earliest 
plantings  were  spoiled  and  some  of  the  later  were  deteriorating. 


I'lot. 


90 


02 


D  r 


Sept    7 


Aug,  24 
Sept.  l 
Sept.  in 

An-.  81 
Bept.    * 


••■  I    Sept  it 
I     B< 

Au-.  'J5 


No.  of 
analysis. 


120 


04 
128 


Brix. 


Sin  P08( 


18.03 

ll  -ii 

13.8] 
14.40 

i".  ;•, 


/'.  /•  cent    /'.  ;<•'  at 
3.  li 


12.90 


12.    i 

'.Mil 

P.  :,-j 

K    11 

;.;.  ik 

I  •  1 

1.78 

1.7:' 

J.u? 


Coeffio«nt 
tl|  purity. 


Remarks. 


50  47 


BlaoV  Amber,  planted 
Hay  s,  produced  lino 
<■  in,  s,  u  inch  ripened  a 
week  earlier  i  bau  Barly 

A  Ml  I  M  I  .    It    w  M  <»\  61  i  M"' 

when  samples  irere 
taken  tor  iiii.ih  sis. 
White  Amber,  planted 
Ma\  8,  produoed  Una 
oanes,  pure  and  an* 
mixed,  with  bui  slight 
«i i Hi  renoea  fit>m  Barly 
a  mber. 

i:.nh  Amber,  planted  May 
22  j  seed  received  front 
Bydney,  Australia. 

Early  Amber,  from  wed 

u  bioh  li. hI  been  growl 
i,\  the  Sterling  Sirup 
Workfl  :il    tlliri  plnci'  foi 


...  prod 


us;  plumed   asaj 
Inc.  (I  large  <  wioal 


115 


rio 

. 

Dat 

e. 

No.  of 
analysis. 

Degree 
Brix. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

Coefficient 
of  purity. 

Remarks 

! 

Per  cat. 

. 

( Early  Amber,p1antod  May 

i 

Aug 

30 

41 

15.17 

9.  39 

2.  83 

01.00 

1     21,  rt  caivetl   fioiu    <  ape 

231 

Sept 

8 

129 

12.  r0 

2.  s2 

50.  83 

i     Town,      South     Africa, 

Sept. 

20 

340 

12.00 

0.11 

2.09 

50.  02 

labeled    "  BjjlCUS      S;ic- 

[     clniratus. 

23... 

Aug. 

24 

4 

18.10 

13.70 

1.  12 

75.  C9 

Early    Amber,  from    New 
York,  planted     M  iy    >-, 
produced      large     ana 
handsome  canes. 

'Jin    .. 

Aug. 

31 

40 

15.38 

10.80 

2.  10 

70.  22 

Folger's     Early    variety, 

planted  May  21.    It  orig- 

inated  in  continuous  se- 

lections,  made  in  Iowa, 

from  Early  Amher;  pro- 

duced good  canes. 

r 

Sept. 

8 

125 

16.02 

10.91 

1.51 

68.  in 

I 

Sept, 

17 

224 

16.  16 

1L43 

1.(9 

70.  73 

Sept. 

20 

34! 

16.10 

11.48 

1.G7 

70.  .-(I 

.    249. . 

Oct. 

Oct. 

4 
9 

460 
539 

10.78 
15.62 

11.04 

10.25 

1.40 

2.  28 

71.  10 
65.  02 

^Another  ploi  of  the  same. 

Oct. 

15 

590 

14.68 

0.9i 

1.51 

07.  *5 

Oct. 

19 

Ti.iO 

15.81 

1(1.09 

1.31 

00.  51 

( 

Oct. 

22 

15.41 

10.  22 

1.82 

CO.  32 

J 

The  following  lots  of  u  Chinese  "cane  showed  interesting  differences 
in  habit,  owing  probably  to  conditions  in  which  tuev  had  been  pre- 
vionsly  grown : 


Plot. 

Date. 

X...  of 
analysis. 

Degree 
Bnx. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose, 

Coefficient 

ol*  purity. 

Remarks. 

.; 

/'.  r  <■,  nt. 

r 

Aug.  29 

28 

13.04 

6.02 

4.(i7 

43.10 

1 

oj    ...  ; 
1 

Sept.    7 
Sept.  17 
Sept.  26 

Ocr.      0 

123 
214 
3.-.5 
488 

].\  27 
16.20 
15.84 

17.  18 

8.44 
9.  27 
0.41 
11.42 

2.  90 
2.71 
2.  00 
1.84 

57*29     1  Chinese,  received a*   •"the 
rVi'JiT     '     New  Sugar-cane,"  from 
66  47    |     Central  Ajnerica.planted 

Oct.       8 

510 

10.  Ill) 

2.  10 

-"•')  <• 

l 

Oct.     15 

50 :; 

17.  37 

11.79 

1.35 

f 

Aug.  30 

11 

14.10 

0.51 

3.07 

40.  17 

1 

Sept.   18 

233 

15  00 

7.  Mi 

2.  45 

52.67 

Another    l<>t     of     same, 
planted  May  18. 

210 \ 

Sept.  29 

400 

10.50 

9.90 

2.  28 

Oct.       8 

512 

16.50 

10.  19 

2.  HO 

03.  58 

I 

Oct.     13 

592 

15.34 

8.  07 

2.01 

58. 47     J 

f 

1  Chinese,  received  as  "Sor- 

Aug.  30 

42 

14.  Ki 

7.  55 

1.51 

53.  55 

qli  a  hi    s  nc  <•  li  a  r  it  t  a  in  , 

215  ....  J 

Sept    17 

210 

16.29 

9.  70 

2.  25 

5!).  01      i 

from   New  Soutlt  Wales, 

Sept.  29 

40.-, 

16  06 

9.  i  ; 

- 

planted    May    19.      But 

few  seeds  RTOW  and  c  llles 

Oct.     8 

1  -..  1 1 

2.10 

were  poor. 

Aug.  30 

11 

15.  10 

7.13 

4.  10 

47.22    1 

Chinese,  re<  oived  .i 

</  A  u  //(    mi  eeh  <i  rut  a  in." 
Irotn  Cape  l?o*  d,  a  tin  .i 
planted   May  15.     Quod 

Sept.   17 

210 

8.  62 

56.  io 

Sept.   28 

395 

18.20 

1 1    57 

2.  10 

63  57 

Oct     3 

Oct.      8 

445 

16.49 
17.98 

11.02 

12.40 

2.  03 

1.44 

l      - 
69.  3n 

1 

Oct.    13 

501 

1 7.  22 

ll.LY, 

l  83 

65.  39 

f 

Aug.  25 

9 

14.94 

7.71 

::  66 

51.01 

e,    -low  ii     in     t  li  c 
United    States,  planted 
M.i\  5  .  produced  better 
canes  than  tin  foregoing 

Sept.  io 

140 

17.  11 

10.  13 

2.4H 

59.91 

37            1 

Sept.  n 

148 

18.52 

12.81 

66,  17 

.!,....     , 

S,  pt.  17 

213 

17.  15 

10.83 

2.  10 

! 

Sept.  26 

348 

12  95 

1.07 

69.  1 1 

lot*,  wbieli   Beems  to  in 

Oct.       8 

511 

19.00 

13.23 

1.40 

•  licit e  t  hal  it  ban  become 
adapted  to  this  con  tit  n 

White  India,  planted  Ma> 

8;   produces    large  and 

CD J 

i 

Sept.  19 

255 

9.  96 

l .  66 

handsome    cam  a,    it i •>• 

Sept.  26 

16.  16 

10.  18 

from    offshoots;    yields 

Oct.       5 

10.53 

1.  12 

07.  94 

.seed   \\  ell      The  -red  did 

OH.       0 

5  i 

17.07 

18.07 

not    seem  to   gei  minate 

\% •  •  1 1  and  the  stand  was 

. 

poor. 

11G 


Plot. 


Date. 


f     R<  pt.  19 

J     Sept  28 

5 

B 


Oct. 


<:: 


I    Oct 


Sept.  19 

S.  pt.  26 
5 


No.  of 

Brix. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

. 

1     f 

261 

i&  ra 

L0.09 

10.05 

13.  20 

1.61 

477 

1&  10 

12.74 

1.47 

rSM 

10.70 

11.  Ul 

1.59 

16.  92 

12  04 

1.47 

353 

16.40 

11.  14 

1.44 

474 

11  90 

1.26 

." 

16.95 

11.50 

1.24 

Cot  llirit'llt 

of  parity. 


Remarks. 


85 


f  This  lot  was  planted  with 

-    labeled     "  Bnya- 

ma."    from    Louisiana; 

I  planted  May  B.  The 
canes  are  very  similartn, 
and   probably    identical 

I     with,  the  White  India. 

(  \V  hite     M  a  m  in  oth    * 

plain,  d    M  13  B.      There 

is  apparently  do   diffi  r 

between     theae 

!     canes  and  the  White  In- 

(     dia  or  the  Enyama. 


■otanic.il  description  of  the  White  Mammoth  is  (Ann.  Rep.  1*.  s.  Dept  of  Agricull 
'*  Head*  very  d.  us.-,  expanding  Inward  the  flattened  top:  elnmes  shining,  black,  prominent     m    d 
white,  large  hilum,  inconspicuous."    Thia  applies  well  to  the  White  India.  Enyama,  and  White  Ham- 
niiiih,  aa  grown  in  the  above  lots  hut  the  secda  may  have  been  incorrectly  named  by  those  who  sent 
thom. 

VARIETIES   OF   ORANGE. 

A  large  number  of  sub  varieties  of  this  standard  variety  exist,  but  the 
differences  in  character  are  probably  less  than  with  other  varieties,  con- 
sidering the  opportunities  that  have  been  offered  it  for  variation  ;  that 
is  t<»  say,  the  predominant  race  characteristics  hold  their  own  better 
i hronghont  the  crosses.  Donbtless  this  is  due  to  the  fact  that  it  has 
been  grown  a  long  time  ami  become  well  established.  Some  of  the  plots 
of  Early  Orange  showed  remarkable  uniformity,  not  a  Bingle  important 
variation  being  found  in  them.  This  stable  quality  will  make  the  variety 
very  aseful  in  crossing  where  certain  stable  qualities  are  desired. 


Plot.         Date. 

No.  of 
analysis. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

Coefl 

of  parity. 

Remarks. 

rer  cent. 

• 

(    Sept.    a 
1     Sept     ', 

12.55 

|  Early     Oral 

!i7 

13.78 

7.51 

from  Department  ol   \  z- 

;    Sept  it 
1    Sept  21 

■■s: 

3.61 

)■     1  Icultnre  1   planted  May 

aid 

11  03 

'J.  'Ml 

liixsd  .mil  111.  gnlai 

I    Sept.  2« 

342 

17.  1 'J 

11.20 

2.  7ii 

ass. 

81  s.  Pt.  27 

371 

17.;'),- 

1.83 

72  '.'J 

Orange,  front  Fort 
Scott,     Kana. ;    planted 

M...  - 

(    Sept    -' 

101 

16  OS 

1".  lit 

2.80 

1 

|     Sept  in 

•Jfill 

10.02 

2.W 

-  pt.  27 
i    Ocl 

870 
538 

17.50 

11.53 

'_'.  7  1 

62.  32 

(  '.iioIiim.  pl.inU  d  Ma\  B. 

1      Oct.      lit 

<;:;] 

81.  17 

) 

87 Sept  19 

•J7u 

LI.  80 

-111     A 1 

kansaa    planted  ' 

I    Sept.  12 

1      S.pt.   Ill 

157 
250 

Pi.  77 

11.37 
10.53 

'_'.  7n 
1.08 

j  i;. .  «i\  .d  from   Louiaiana 

'      S.  pt.  '_'". 

1    0<  1 

1     Oct    15 

17.77 
17.77 
17.00 

Pi  09 

:!.  OS 

1  1:; 

72  iiT 

produced  Earl}  Orange 
.  ansa  .  planted  \i 

4'J.. 


Sept.  10 

Sept  -J7 

( 

An  J 

25 

S.  pt     11 

145 

; 

>.  pt     18 

247 

1 

Sept.  26 

1 

0.1.      :■ 

528 

c 

Bept  12 

>.  pt   HI 

-71 

Sept.  27 

:;-,:, 

15.  m 

2  11 

1.77 

11  85 

8.  28 

16,20 

1    71 

1-  04 

12.  18 

L62 

16  81 

1.  20 

1.  16 

It.  12 

L6.25 

6 :.  1 1 
7 1 .  07 


j  Kansas  Orange  ;   planted 
8.      Strong   a  d  d 

v  ;.\  « anes. 

'  Bane  .  planted  staj  8. 


Ol  '    _■  planted 

n|iin  d 
l.\   .Inn.  li  b 


•  Pl.ii  .       -      planted  May  21.    s. .  experiments  in  development  pag<  123,  (This  plot  was 

Lform,  not  a  tingle  rariation  i»  Log  band  Ln  u  > 


11 


Plot 

Dat.-. 

No.  of 
analysis. 

Brix. 

Sucrose. 

Coeft: 

of  parity. 

Remarks. 

.' 

1 

1  'ranfre.   from    New 

f 

Sept.  12 

158 

16. 12 

9.  91 

2.  41 

61.66 

-  v:    planted    May 

in    ... 

i 

S.-pt.  19 

874 

17.02 

3.07 

82.  ]  6 

1     8:   produced  Uu  - 

» 
1 

Oct.       9 

1 2. 73 

2  32 

7".  70 

:  _r  canes,  which  ie- 

Oct.     15 

1G.97 

11.43 

2.  30 

1     ' 

mained     1'iDi'    iu     good 

1      condition. 

r 

Aug   29 

29 

10.48 

3. 1 .". 

4.  32 

1 

i 

Sept.  11 

151 

lo.  31 

-    - 

01.  3d 

17.18 

1L06 

.   " 

Early 

Sept.  27 

13.  38 

- 

1 

Goosenei  k  •."      planted 

I 

i 

Oct.      b 

47:; 

17.4- 

12.48 

71.4H 

May    8.     I  li  <•    cam  a 

Oct.       9 

537 

- 

12. 79 

1.46 

• 

were   spparently   idem 

i 

Oct.    IS 

10.  22 

65.10 

tical  wiiii  the  Late  1  >r- 

Oct     19 

12.63 

1.03 

71.70 

_ 

Oct    L2 

11.  ir, 

I 

o  •    24 

G83 

16.10 

9.  72 

2.  72 

• 

J 

f  Medini 

be     ■    <  i    - 

\ 

An;.  29 

10.48 

1.60 

" 

Early  Amber  and  Kan- 

Sept.    7 

122 

11.35 

1.  07 

J 

:  •  (  i  ivi  (I 

Si  pt.    12 

15.50 

9.91 

1.24 

from     Ulinoid ;     ranea 

mncfa     resemble     t  h  e 

I      Amber;  planted  M;i\  B. 

r 

- 

47 

11.81 

.    •- 

" 

1 

- 

1 

Sept    8 

Sept.  17 

127 
21« 

It.  48 

: .  - .9 
1.28 

65.  12 

planted  Ma    22 

341 

11.84 

1.1  4 

: 

) 

RED   L1BEBIAN. 

This  old  variety,  known  under  so  many  synonyms,  made  a  very  _ 
showing  in  this  season's  1  rial.  Jt  is  very  distinctive  in  its  character,  gn  es 
*1  yield  per  acre,  and  has  a  good  contentof  sugar.  Its  greatest  fault 
is  to  be  found  in  the  small  round  seeds  it  produces.  These  produce 
plants  which  are  very  small  and  feeble  at  fust,  and  when  the  planting 
is  done  with  a  corn-plauter  the  seed   is  apt  to  be  too  close  in  the  hill. 


I      S.  pt.  j7 
Oct       4 

|     Oct     5 

I     Sept  10 

j     Sept.  27 

I      S.  pt.  17 

-1 

Oct     9 

I     ", 

...     . 


• 


No.  of 

aualv  sis 


470 

471 

4-1 


_ 

Brix. 


- 


18.27 

-   - 

19.91 
19.  15 

15.  70 


. 


parity. 


Remarks. 


12.  15 

2.74 

12.45 

12.07 

2.  94 

14.26 

14.70 

L84 

1.07 

13.90 

1.71 

1.'.  :;i 

L  11 

ILW 

11.71 

2. :;  i 

1.94 

11.  12 

1.42 

B  M 


i   Ifi 


from  Mirtftoui  i  ;i>      Lil 
5uu  planU  il 

eld   of 
_ 
I  R  v  .1 

from    LYxas    uuder  t In- 

ii  m i      R»  .i    ; 

I      plauted  V 

Red  •   i«  ived 

under     th«    n  i  in  <•    >>  t 

1-         pi  iuied 

I 

/  S.iiiu-  |  Li 1. 1 ■-•! 

18 
I  <  roldea  Roil     i 
i     planted    Mi.    -         1  be 

planted  in  Ibc  p!  >i 
;     did  aol   vermin 

ii  in. iu 

.  I    ..t     tin-    Sun  p 
ibablj 


118 


Plot. 

Date. 

No.  of 
analysis. 

Degree 
lirix. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

Coefficient 
of  parity. 

Remarks. 

1  Honey   Dew.    from  Indi- 

ana; planted Ma^  8;  pro- 

duced line  canes :  j  ielda 

/'<  <■  <•(  /it. 

/'■  <  .•<  nt 

white, clean  abed  in  large 

!<9   .... 

[ 

1 

Aug.  31 
Sept,    7 
Sept.  11 

Gl 
118 
153 

14  52 

14.77 
1L98 

- 
8.  :;t; 

78 
1.19 
1.69 

38.  30 
41.65 

quantities.  Tbia  plot  did 
nut  liave  favorable  con- 

<J       ditions;      ;i     lame     field 
planted    by    the    Sunn 
Works  cave  better  re- 

Sept   :• 

103 

17.53 

11  34 

1.  02 

01.  OK 

sults,    'i  he  last  analysis 

given    was    tak<  n    licni 

this  field,   net  from  the 

(      plot. 

( 

Oct     4 

457 

10.  GO 

10.78 

1.33 

G4.  94 

c  San.e;     planted    May  is. 

259* . . . 

Oct    it: 

613 

15.75 

9.34 

1.64 

2      Ibis  plot  did  better  than 

< 

Oct    22 

ceo 

18.  10 

LI.  92 

2.  02 

65.86 

(     the  earlier  planting. 

98 

\ 

Aug.  25 
S»pt    :i 

11 

85 

15.84 
16.24 

a  29 

in.  50 

4.  27 
2.  14 

52.31 

04  0t) 

i  Dutcher'a  H\  in  id  ;  oi  igiu 
}     at-ed  in  Iowa;    planted 
}     May& 

Au-   28 

19 

12.74 

5.  f>0 

3.8G 

43.  04  i 

223 

Aug.  28 

29 

13.15 

6.10 

3.  73 

40.  .'!!> 

ISamO;   planted  Mm   1& 

Sept.  lc 

229 

16.50 

10.  05 

2.  28 

60.91 

$ 

1  Link's    Hybrid  ;    planted 

May  8.     '1  his  j.lut    w  ith 
the  New    Orange,   and 

several  others  neai  this, 

were  injured  by  drought 
and    Insects    bo    that 

97 

Aug.  31 

58 

12.  CO 

5.  70 

48.  00 

j     analysis  were  not   con- 
tinued on   it.       A  lai  ue 

Belies  of  analyses  were 

made  on  another  plot  of 

the  same  variety,  \\  hieh 

are  given  nnder  the  e\- 

i 

pei  inn  nts    i  n    develop- 

1 

I     ment  page  122. 

( 

Aug.  2:. 

10 

12.42 

4.57 

i  7l 

Price  a  Hybrid  :  said  to  be 

101... 

i 

Sept    3 

R4 

16.84 

ld.77 

2.71 

63.  9.") 

a  eioss  betw  een    Amhei 
[       and  Honduras  ;    planted 
]       Ma      - 

Sept.   <; 

111 

1G.  10 

9  20 

2.  96 

57.  14 

1  The  Planh  r's  Fi  unci;  re- 

ceived   from   Australia  ; 

planted    May  18.    This 

vai  iety  was  ti'sti  d  at  the 

\ 

Sept.  18 

231 

17.10 

10.  SI 

1.79 

Lioverninenl     fauns    in 

214... 

Sept.  20 

418 

20.  f0 

1.00 

Ii7.4« 

1       Madias,    India,  in    1882, 

Oct.      4 

455 

18  06 

10.96 

U  ith  twoother  vai  i(  ties, 

ami  was  eonsiden  d  the 

IkmI  in  Bacchai  ine  qual- 

ities.   It  is  a  promising 

\  ariotj  . 

Plol   100.   lion.  >   Drip,  from  Texas;   planted  May  8.     Larg< 
Analyses  given  under  development  experiments,  pagi 

HONDURAS. 


This  variety  is  widely  known  and  distributed  under  its  various  names 
of  Spraugletop,  Broom  cane,  etc.  It  produces  a  larger  yield  per  acre 
than  any  other  well-known  variety  <>f  Borglium.  It  lias  been  known  at 
Sterling  to  yield    as  high  as  33  lens  of  field    caue  per  acre.      In  none  <  I* 

the  plots  planted  with  it  did  it  ripen  sufficiently  to  show  innttirit\. 
The  hope  for  this  variety  lies  in  its  improvement  by  .^elections  of  early 
maturing  canes. 


119 


Plat 

Date. 

No.  of 

Decree 
Brix. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

Coefficient 

Remains. 

analysis. 

of  purity. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

f  Honduras  Iron)  Louisiana, 

Gl   .... 

£     ( 

481 

15.75 

9.34 

3.  35 

59.  30 

1      very    large     canes    but 

'  < 

Oct.    15 

595 

15.51 

9.54 

3.24 

01.39 

]     more  affected  by  drought 

I      tlian  No.  63. 

G3   

Hay     8 

C  Hunduras.  from   Arizona. 
1      No  analysis  was  made. 

[  Honey   cane,   from    Texas. 

65 

Iffay     8 

j     Slight  differences  from 



Honduras.    i\o  analysis 

' 

1      made. 

1  "  Silver   Top    or   Broom 

Cme "      from      Texas : 

06  .... 

1 

Sept.  10 
Oct.    22 

254 
G54 

14.92 

15.  15 

8.  35 
9.84 

4.19 
2.  72 

55.  90 
61.95 

planted     May    8.       The 

|      handsomest   lot  of   the 

Honduras  canes  ;   large 

weight  of  cane  did    not 

1     ripen. 

f  Gooseneck     from     Smith 
|      Carolina;   planted  Mav 

70  .... 

I 

Oct.    22 

(104 

17.20 

11.38 

2.  59 

00. 10 

',      8.      Larue     canes;     the 

Oct.    24 

681 

18. 00 

11.78 

2.  60 

05.44 

)     most  popular  rai  iety  in 

some  parts  Of  the  Sout  li  ; 

[     did  not  ripen  well. 

f 

An ^.  30 

45 

14.29 

7.  65 

3.03 

53.  53 

(  Wanbansee.      This    was 
formerly  a  popular  va- 
riety in  Kansas,  but  lias 
[     lost  favor  :  large  canes, 
j      strongly  rooted  ;    large 
seeds    ami   heavy   <rt-il- 

230 ... . 

j 

Sept.  17 
Sept.  '-'1 
Oct.     •", 

221 

15.58 
!G  U7 
16.  32 

10.38 
10.  82 

11.71 

1.  42 

1.37 

.91 

00.58 
07.33 

71.75 

i 

i 

Oct.       6 
Oct.    15 

498 

15.87 

15.77 

11.10 

.92 

09.  91 

I      heads. 

{  Texas  Red,  received  from 
Arkansas  ;  larg  ■  cane  <>f 
the  Honduras  t  s  no  ;  seed 
bright    red.       Was     |U,| 
grown    ar    the   station, 
and    the  analysis  given 

Oct.    10 

645 

20.25 

13.80 

2.84 

08.14 

j     was  a  Bingle  cane  in  a  lot 
j     received  from  Arkansas. 

The  nigh  percentage  of 

sugar  in  connection  v.  ith 

1     the  great  size  of  the  cane 

would   seem    to  lend  in- 

terest to  its    further   iu- 

[     vestigation. 

f  White  African     Analysis 

229   ... 

May   19 



!       given      under     cxpeli- 

]     ments   ii  development, 
{     page  122. 

I  NX  A. MED   VARIETIES. 


In  many  cases  packages  of  sorghum-seed  wore  received  and  planted 
in  the  experimental  Geld,  which  showed  as   they  matured  that  they 

had  been  wrongly  named.      When  the  plot  was  seen  to  be  identical  be- 
yond doubt  villi  some  other  well-known  variety,  it  would  be  classed 

with  it,  as  has  been   done  in  several  cases  above.      But   this  could   not 

be  decided  definitely  in  all  cases.    Varieties  were  also  received  for  idem  i- 
fication  which  were  unknown  to  us. 
Ten  varieties  were  received  from  Algiers,  the  names  of  which  could 

DOt  be  given  by  the  persoil  who  sent  them. 

Probably  the  most  iutere8ting  collection  of  sved  received  by  the  sta- 
tion was  furnished  by  Dr.  Peter  Collier,  director  of  the  New  York  i\ 
perimeul  station.  It  comprised  a  large  number  of  varieties,  including 
many  from  foreign  countries,  collected  through  consuls  while  1  >r.  ( 'oilier 
whs  in  the  ('.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  Un fortunately  the  names 
ami  records  of  these  varieties  could  not  be  obtained. 


120 

Some  of  these  unnamed  varieties  could  perhaps  be  pretty  closely 
identified,  but  it  is  thought  better  to  <;ive  them  at  present  just  the 
numbers  of  the  experimental  plots  where  they  grew  until  they  eau  be 
more  certainly  identified  by  another  season's  planting. 


Plot 

Date. 

No.  of 
analysis. 

Degree 

n.ix. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

1  ient 
ot  purity. 

Remarks. 

Percent. 

Percent. 

r 

• ; 

Sept.  10 
Sept.  18 
Oct.    15 

138 
234 
610 

14.13 
1 5.  72 
16.26 

7.40 
10.  58 
11.48 

2.  76 
1.66 
1.  29 

52.  37 
07.  30 
70.  00 

]  Plant  (1  May  8.    Canes  ir 

}    regulai :     badly   mixed. 

From  this  country. 

Oct.    19 

041 

14.  50 

8.01 

2.04 

55.  24 

f 
11..  ..  : 

Sopt.  is 

Oct.      8 

237 
513 

9.  69 
12.29 

3.00 
o.  55 

3.04 

37.81 
53.  69 

Planted  May  8.    Rema'k' 
ably    large,   but    short 
canes,  verj   heavy  set  d- 
beada  :  not  a  promising 

variety.       From     Sooth 

Oct.    15 

011 

10.  56 

3.  80 

3.  34 

35.  98 

I 

Oct.      19 

640 

10.50 

4.05 

38.  57 

r 

Sept.  11 
Sopt  18 
Sept.  26 
Oct.      G 

150 
245 

17.  G7 
16.54 

10.46 
9.  33 

3.25 
3.75 

59.20 
50.41 

Africa. 
Planted    May    8.     Large, 

handsome  '  canes,     free 

from  all  offshoots  until 
j     over-ripo;   a    promising 

variety.       From    this 
[     country. 

14 

346 
5  10 

18.72 
16.37 

12.68 

10.00 

2.48 
2.  92 

07.  20 
Gl.09 

1 

Oct    15 
Oct.    1!) 

6  6 
646 

17.50 
18.  (iO 

11.31 
13.84 

.  77 
.55 

04.  63 
74.41 

1  Plants  i    -May    8.      Every 

,, .. ; 

Sept  15 

239 

17.27 

11.30 

.77 

65.  95 

1     cane     formed      Beveral 

Sept.  26 

347 

18.64 

12.  .-7 

.  65 

69.  05 

!     loads-,  light  seed -beater; 

Oct    15 

606 

17.50 

11.31 

.  77 

04.03 

j     notable  in   its  low  con- 
I     tent  of  glucose.     From 

Oct.    19 

642 

17.  lo 

11.24 

.72 

65.  73 

{      India. 

" ! 

Sept    1 
Oct    19 

73 
G44 

13.49 
16.10 

7.  57 
10.70 

1.94 
1.31 

66. 40 

i  Planted  May  8.  Same  habit 
•  ■   15.     From  South 

(       Africa. 

( 

Sept.    l 

72 

14. St 

8.60 

2.  55 

(  Planted    May   8,      Large 

J 

Sept.  18 

235 

14.80 

<).  05 

2.10 

61,  L5 

stocky  cane-,  tr.  e   1 1 .  •  tti 

" | 

Oct      6 

496 

14  it.' 

10.40 

1.74 

69.71 

)       offdhoots;      l.eav\     >,  i  d 

I 

Oct.    ID 

643 

17.0!) 

11.54 

1.  10 

07.  52 

I      top.    From  this  country. 

M           1 

Sept.  18 
Oct,      6 

236 

15.70 

8.57 

3,08 

54.  59 

(  Plan  ted  May  8.   Large  and 

|       line  canes,  free  from  off- 

497 

ia42 

12.72 

69  06 

Oct    15 
Oct    23 

609 
673 

17.  10 

15.69 

11.09 

s.  53 

2.  96 
1.38 

64.85 
51.37 

i      shoots    until    overripe; 
1  i ii  li t  seed-bearer.    From 

1       Africa. 

26... J 

Sept.  18 
Oct.      8 

238 

14.30 

0.10 

2  21 

I  Planted     May    8.      Shor', 
Mock y    canes  :     h  ea  v  y 
iops.    From  South 
\ '  i  lea. 

515 

16.31 

11.48 

1.60 

70.  39 

i 

Oct     15 

607 

13  50 

8.14 

2.12 

(  Planted     May    B.      Not     ;i 

28 

Oct.     15 

608 

10.20 

11.38 

1.41 

■      promising     v  a  r  i  e  t  y  . 
r     From  Africa 

r 

Aug.  29 

24 

5.  77 

47.  70 

I 

Sept.      1 

Sept  io 

66 

137 

14.44 

7.  30 

7.01 

2.  80 
2.  80 

52.'  91 

|  Planted      Mav     8.      Good 
1      canes,     free      from      off 
shoots    until    over-ripe, 
1  torn  ibis  country. 

ss ■; 

Sept  18 

241 

16.07 

10.  B7 

2  08 

01.05 

i 

Sept  26 
Oct.      9 

851 
521 

10.  07 
10.88 

11.85 
LI.  59 

1.41 
12! 

I 

Oct      9 

522 

17.08 

11.48 

1.81 

67.21 

|  Planted       May      8.       The 

- I 

Sept    l 

7."> 

10.14 

:;.  78 

1  22 

37.  08 

largest  cams  in  the  ex- 

Oct      8 

494 

15.82 

10.29 

07.17     ;     porimontal    Beld;      did 

O.I.      1!) 

647 

it  06 

8,  97 

.70 

not  fully  mature.    From 
1      Africa. 

|  Planted      May      8.       Good 

c  inesj  ti  u  oil-boots. 
i  From  \ii:.a.  Remark- 
1     able  from   its  low   oon. 

tenl  of  glucose  and  bigh 

purity. 

f 

Sept    1 

76 

13.22 

1    M 

60.  61 

89  ! 

Sept  18 
Sept  26 

Hi.  17 

10.01 
13.82 

1.00 

.07 

00.42 
72.71 

Oct 

17.20 

12.79 

.  60 

71.  36 

1 

12.  10 

72.  00 

f 

13 

It  B5 

Sept     l 

77 

12.29 

1.23 

67.  42 

Sept     l 

78 

1 7.  26 

11.07 

l  BO 

61  ll 

Sept     l 

79 

17.30 

10.88 

1.86 

62.  38 

Plant,  d      M.r.      -        Good 

44.. 

Sept     I 

HO 

10.73 

1 1 .  29 

87.  Lfl 

canes,  tall  ami  slender; 

Sept    7 

121 

lo.  12 

1.  it 

Ct.  TO 

1     mixed  *  ai  iii  lea,     Prom 

Sept  11 

L49 

12.51 

l  25 

tins  oounti  \ 

Sept.  is 

14.97 

S,  |il.  26 

17.44 

11.87 

1 

Oct      9 

627 

17.58 

11.71 

66  HI 

1 

17 

Sep!    18 

i 

III 

64   16 

Planted    Max    s       Similai 

lo  No   15 

121 


Plot. 


48. 


50.... 


Date. 


Xo.  of 

analysis. 


Degree 
Brix. 


Sucrose. 


Sept.  1 
Sept.  11 
Sept.  18 
Sept  26 
Aug.  29 
j     Sept    l 

!      Sept.      1 

Sept.  l 
Sept  18 
I  Oct  6 
(  Oct  9 
f  Sept  10 
|  Sept.  18 
|  Sept,*2G 

■;    Oct     e 

I  i  Oct.  15 

I  Oct.  19 

I  Oct.  22 

{  Sept.  18 

;  Oct  6 

J  Oct  '.) 

^  Oct.  15 

I  Oct  19 

I  Oct  20 


Sept  18 
Oct      6 

Oct.  15 
Oct.  19 
Sept  1!) 

Sept.   -JO 

Oct      6 

Oct.  15 
Oct.     19 


Oct.     r, 

Oct.     15 

Oct    lit 


82 

144 

350 
28 
69 

70 
71 
252 
495 
524 
141 
250 
352 
493 
" 

632 
6G5 
253 
492 
520 
597 
033 
652 
251 
490 
598 
035 
260 
349 
48!) 
596 
034 


487 
594 
030 


10.71 
14.50 
18.45 
19.21 
10.08 
13.  XI 
12.32 
17.  3.4 
17.02 
17.84 
18.00 
14.41 
17.07 
17.44 
17.77 
16.87 
17.78 
10.0  1 

iao7 

15.47 
10.70 
17.37 

17.50 
16.  85 
13.47 
10.  85 
14.37 
12.  08 
14.77 
17.7H 
18.20 
18.30 
18.00 


18.78 
Ik.  92 
18.60 


Per  cent. 

9.  42 

7.34 

13.  09 

13.52 

4.90 

7.05 

5.07 

10.70 

12. 15 

12.  90 

13.28 

7.95 

11.20 

11.73 

12.  80 

11  54 

12.65 

11.19 

11.66 

10.  07 

11.02 

11.08 

11.15 

10.47 

4.9(1 

10.57 

7.18 

4.81 

6.  15 

9.  52 

9.  58 

9.97 

9.  93 


13.07 
13.  13 


Glucose. 


Coefficient 

of  purity. 


Remarks. 


/'.  r  a  at. 
3.73 
3.28 
2,04 
1.98 
2.  65 
2.  72 
3^40 
2.  90 
1.  25 
1.00 


1.01 

2.  'JO 

3.  22 
3.00 

2.  27 

2.  27 

I.'  99 

.91 

.99 

.01 

.00 

.97 

1.02 

4  (8 

2.  96 

4.  (  0 
4  01 
4.  72 
4.  24 

3.  05 
3.87 
3.50 


2.20 
2.  10 
2.  32 


5G.  37 
50.  02 
7".  95 
7u.  38 
45.  88 
55.  35 
41.15 

62.  05 
71.39 
72.31 
7.1.  78 
5"..  17 
G->.  06 
67.  26 
72,  03 
Gs.  41 
71.15 
00.  94 
04.  53 
08.97 
65.  99 

63.  79 
03.  71 
02.  14 
30  38 
62.  73 
49.  97 
39.82 
41.04 

53.  79 
52.  64 

54.  30 
55.17 


09.  GO 
09.  40 

70.  22 


!  Planted    May    8.     Diff  rs 
)•     but  slightly  from  Orange 

|      canes. 


^Planted    May    8. 
,'      caues. 


Mixed 


Resembles  Chinese,  hut 
[shorter  and  mure  stocky 
canes.  From  this  coun- 
try. 


Similar  to  Xo.  15.  Planted 


May  8. 


Planted  May  8.  Strong 
stocky  canes:  large  seed- 
heads  :  good  canes. 

Planted  May  8.  (;  ood 
canes;  li:_rlit  seed-bearer, 

Bprangleu  seed-top;  no 
offshoots  nnt  1  u  v  o  r- 
ripe.  From  this  country. 
Planted  Mas  8.  Large, 
handsome  canes,  t  h  o 
finest  in  the  experimen- 
tal field,  lias  tho  hoi  allest 
seed-headsand  prodncea 
leas  seed  than  any  othi  rj 
no  offshoots  until  ma- 
ture, when  it  shows  a 
tendency  to  produce  sec- 
ondary seed-heads;  did 
not  Fully  mature  before 
frost  it  will  perhaps 
succeed  better  wheu 
fully  acclimated,  it  in 
a    \<  ry    promising   v i 

rieiy. 


122 


DEVELOPMENT   OF  SOKGIII'M. 

Four  plots  of  different  varieties  were  selected  for  the  run  pose  of 
making  frequent  analyses  1o  trace  the  development  of  the  canes.  The 
analyses  were  begun  the  first  week  in  September,  and  samples  were 

taken  every  other  day  until  after  frost.     The  results  are  given  in  the 
following  tables: 

1>,  velopmeni  of  White  African,  j<1ot  229. 


Date. 

No.  of 
analysis. 

Hi  IN. 

Sucr  >sc. 
/V/'  cent. 

Glucose. 

Coeffi- 
cient <it 
purity. 

Per  cent 

Sept    4 

91 

14.64 

7.  17 

2.  .")•_' 

6L  02 

soft. 

Sept    6 

1. 1; 

15.30 

7.  it:. 

2.  GO 

51.9(1 

Do. 

Sept.      H 

124 

It    78 

7.87 

2.  00 

53.  24 

Do. 

Sept.  11 

143 

14.  70 

R.  26 

56.  20 

Seed  getting  hard. 

Sept  13 

LIS 

14.82 

8.06 

2.  24 

54.39 

Do. 

Sept.    1"» 

191 

15.53 

9.  11 

2.  02 

Seed  bard. 

Sept.  18 

230 

14.10 

7.  19 

2  32 

50.  9!) 

Seed  mature. 

Sept  20 

276 

14.12 

7.  1!) 

2   12 

50.  92 

Seed  hard. 

Sept.   22 

30o 

17.20 

II.  10 

1.67 

64.64 

Do. 

Sept.   25 

327 

15.  82 

0.  68 

1.  F8 

61.  lit 

Seed  brittle. 

'     Sept.  27 

365 

14.27 

7.33 

2.  42 

51.36 

D... 

Sept.  20 

13.58 

0.  66 

2.  4  1 

49.04 

Do. 

Oct.       2 

433 

12.  i -7 

:..  15 

2.  32 

40.01 

Do. 

Oct.       4 

152 

12.23 

5.  81 

2.  3  1 

47.  60 

It... 

Oct      6 

48.") 

11.(17 

5.  22 

2.  22 

44.73 

Do. 

Oct,      '•» 

.'» 1 0 

13  39 

8,  63 

2.  22 

64.  45 

Oct    ii 

555 

11.  18 

7.87 

2.2G 

55.  50 

Do. 

Oct.     13 

15.  7(3 

9.  It 

1.85 

R?.  00 

Do. 

Development  of  Link's  Hybrid,  plotO. 


Sepl 
Sepl 
Sepl 
Sepl 
Sepl 
Sepl 
s.  pi 
S<  pi 

S,  pi.  21 
S.  pt,  2  1 
S(  pt.  26 

Sepl.    2- 

Oct, 


Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct 

o.i. 
Oct. 
0  i 

Oc    I. 

1 1  ■ 
(».  i 

O.  I. 

U(  i 

u  i 


15.59 

96 

14.20 

7.78 

117 

15  27 

9.  37 

135 

15.  12 

it.  28 

154 

10.(0 

10.  18 

181 

15.20 

10.22 

2 ;  5 

1 :..  7:. 

10.  II 

257 

16.  15 

10.55 

283 

17.35 

12.21 

314 

18  oo 

1  2.  i'il 

18.08 

12.76 

19.02 

13.90 

4  !9 

13.62 

113 

18.92 

1 1.  00 

466 

13  07 

18.38 

l  ;  50 

643 

1-.  05 

13.27 

:.7I 

18.72 

).:  91 

16  01 

11.  10 

17.  31 

12.21 

671 

17  31 

i  •   16 

678 

17<o 

n  05 

10  8.1 

2.  13 

2.  II 

1.94 

2.21 

1.96 

l.,0 

1.75 

l.'.t; 

i.  13 

L.01 

1.  11 

1.  It 

.  *J 

I.m; 

■55 

1    10 

1.(0 

51. 

71 

54. 

01. 

60. 

IS 

07 

24 

66 

10 

6  i, 

33 

70 

:t7 

72 

17 

70 

52 

73 

"•> 

It 

'.  I 

17 

7.: 

15 

71 

31 

00 

To 

71 

10 

ro 

10 

16 

15 

S,  .  ,1    ROfl 

1).. 

Do. 

D... 

Do. 
Seed  ::itiinir  bard. 

i  »>.. 

Do. 

Do. 
Se<  <1  becoming  bril tli 
Seed  brittle. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do, 

Do 

Do. 

D... 

I),. 
Di  . 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 


123 

Development  of  Honeydrip,  plot  100. 


Date. 

No.  of 

analysis. 

Degree 
Brix. 

Sucrose. 

m 

Glucose. 

Coeffi- 
cient of 

purity. 

Remarks. 

i 

1 

Aug.  31 

59 

11.47 

5.  14 

3.06 

44.  SI 

So  d  soft 

Ang.  31 

GO 

14.52 

0.06 

2.04 

41.74 

Do. 

Sept.    4 

92 

13,  5() 

6.08 

3.  65 

4:5.01 

Do. 

Sept    G 

107 

15.20 

8.05 

3.  39 

52.  95 

Do. 

Sept    8 

131 

14.99 

8.  13 

:s.  10 

5).24 

Do. 

Sept  11 

142 

14. S7 

7.91 

53.  19 

Do. 

Sept  13 

16? 

15.  2$ 

7.91 

.'!.0i 

52.  13 

Do. 

Sept  15 

196 

15.  12 

8  05 

:s.  32 

5:;.  21 

Seed  getting  Lard. 

Sept  18 

232 

16.20 

!).  57 

2.  50 

59.07 

Seed  mat  are. 

Sept.  20 

-77 

10.02 

10.  98 

2.  04 

60.  00 

Seed  brittle. 

Sept.  •-'-' 

303 

17.  ,-5 

11.75 

2.30 

65.  83 

Do. 

Sept.  25 

326 

15.06 

8.48 

2.  1 1 

56.31 

Do. 

Sept.  27 

304 

it;.  77 

10.22 

2.  30 

Gi».  94 

Do. 

Sept.  29 

403 

1 5.  82 

9.  (!) 

2.01 

57.46 

D... 

Oct      2 

432 

16.89 

10. 5-0 

2.  05 

63.91 

Do. 

Oct      4 

453 

11.29 

2.12 

62.51 

Do. 

Oct.      6 

484 

17.74 

12.41 

1.60 

(  9.  95 

Do. 

Oct.      9 

"»•.'(> 

1 7.  38 

11.37 

1.94 

65.  42 

Do. 

Oct.    11 

550 

10.  18 

9.71 

1.87 

60.01 

Da 

Oct    13 

58 1 

1 S.  56 

12.  16 

l.-Ki 

67.13 

D... 

Oct    16 

614 

17.  15 

10.  74 

1.  58 

62.  62 

Do. 

Oct.    19 

629 

16.85 

in   75 

I.f8 

G3.  80 

Do. 

Oct.    22 

COG 

15.70 

3  0.  62 

1.02 

37.  04 

Do. 

Oct    28 

C84 

[6.  80 

9.11 

3.46 

Do. 

Oct    30 

690 

14.60 

5.31 

5.  24 

36.  37 

Do. 

Oct.   30 

697 

16.  80 

6.29 

4.24 

37.41 

Do. 

Development  of  Early  Orange,  plot  228 


Sept 

7 

119 

16.36 

10.  0.1 

3.07 

01.31 

St  ed  soft. 

Sept. 

10 

136 

15.  52 

9.17 

3.  30 

59.09 

Do. 

Sept. 

12 

155 

10.67 

10.5!) 

2.71 

Seed  getting  hat 

d. 

Sept 

H 

1*1 

17.70 

11.90 

2.  IS 

67.23 

Do. 

Sept. 

17 

217 

10.52 

10.72 

2.  63 

01.  89 

Seed  mat  ate 

Sept 

19 

17.97 

12.47 

2.  02 

69.  39 

Pa 

Sept. 

21 

2Mi 

17.04 

11.01 

2.  07 

04.0! 

Do. 

Sept 

2t 

:;  1 5 

18.12 

12.21 

2.  18 

67.38 

Seen*  brittle. 

Sept 

20 

:;:;'.> 

19.26 

70.  87 

Do 

Sept 

28 

3*9 

18.52 

13.05 

2.  09 

70.  46 

Do. 

o,i 

1 

420 

r.i.  to 

13.  07 

2.10 

60.  If!) 

l'o 

oa 

:s 

414 

17.4") 

12  57 

2.  o.t 

72.03 

Do. 

Oct. 

e 

407 

18.76 

13.62 

1.    2 

72.  00 

Do. 

Oct 

8 

5(i6 

18.60 

13.23 

1      1 

71.-4 

Do. 

Oi  i. 

10 

511 

18  77 

13.57 

1.48 

72.  £0 

Do 

Oct 

12 

570 

18.82 

13.01 

1.48 

72.  32 

Do. 

Oct. 

15 

18.64 

i::.  1  8 

1.97 

70   17 

Da 

Oct 

17 

019 

1.00 

Do. 

Oct. 

Lfl 

628 

18.  29 

13.  15 

1  75 

71.90 

Do. 

Oct 

2  J 

002 

10.  5o 

11.11 

2.  1 7 

07.  3  : 

1',, 

Oct 

23 

072 

17  36 

11.  56 

1.81 

1> 

Oct, 

21 

079 

17.  0o 

10.60 

2.91 

60.23 

Do. 

Oct 

16  60 

■ 

4.  B0 

Oct 

30 

16  :  <i 

3.  50 

52.  i :» 

I'... 

Oct. 

15.  5  ) 

0.  17 

A.iS 

Do. 

Considerable  work  has  already  been  published  on  tlio  subject  of  the  de- 
velopment of  sorghum  cane  and  the  changes  undergone  bj  the  different 
constituents  of  the  juice  as  the  cane  approaches  maturity.  The  great  dif- 
ficulty in  all  such  work  comes  from  the  liability  toerror  in  sampling.    A 

sample  taken  one   day  may  show  a   lower  content  of  SUCroSC   than 

taken  the  day  before,  not  because  the  cane  has  all  under-one  deteriora- 
tion, but  because  the  sam  pie  taken  on  the  second  da\  was  composed  of 
poorer  canes  than  the  first    Moreover,  there  is  undoubtedly  soaie  change 

I  trough  I    about  in  the  quality  of  the    juice  by  conditions  of  the  soil  and 


124 

atmosphere, causing  a  difference  in  the  amount  of  water  contained  bytbe 
plant  at  different  times.  Jt  is  quite  an  important  matter,  however,  to 
ascertain  the  point  in  the  development  of  the  plant  when  it  contains  its 
maximum  of  sugar,  especially  if  this  point  is  coincident  with  some  out- 
ward appearance  of  the  plant  by  which  the  proper  time  for  working-  it 
up  may  be  known;  and  the  difficulties  in  the  way  should  not  deter  us 
from  a  progress  in  that  direction.  It  has  been  asserted  that  the  sor- 
ghum cane  is  ready  for  working  as  soon  as  the  seed  is  mature.  Our  work 
on  development,  and  observations  in  general  would  lead  us  to  doubt  tin 
truth  of  this  tenet.  The  juice  does  not  attain  its  maximum  of  sucrose  or 
of  purity  until  long  after  the  seed  is  sufficiently  mature  to  germinate. 
From  the  above  tables  it  will  be  seen  that  the  canes  improved  materially 
after  the  seed  had  become  perfectly  hard  and  brittle,  and  after  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  canes  in  general  would  have  led  most  practical  sorghum 
men  to  pronounce  them  overripe.  With  the  exception  of  the  White  Afri- 
can, none  of  the  varieties  used  commenced  to  deteriorate  until  after  there 
had  been  heavy  frosts,  about  the  middle  of  October.  All  were  varieties 
that  are  rather  late  in  maturing,  as  work  was  not  commenced  in  time 
to  follow  the  development  of  any  of  the  earlier  varieties.  There  is  lit- 
tle doubt  but  that  the  later  varieties  are  generally  harvested  too  early 
in  the  work  of  the  factories;  and  the  necessity  is  evident  of  either  making 
late  successive  plantings  of  the  earlier  varieties,  planting  varieties  which 
ripen  intermediately  between  the  early  and  late,  or  of  selecting  from  the 
later  varieties  with  a  view  to  their  earlier  maturation.  It  is  a  pretty 
general  observation  in  our  experience  that  the  ripeness  of  sorghum  cane 
is  overjudged  when  based  upon  its  external  appearance,  and  doubtless 
many  of  the  published  analyses  which  have  brought  disrepute  to  sor- 
ghum as  a  sugar-producing  plant,  aside  from  the  cases  where  it  was 
grown  too  far  north  to  permit  of  its  maturing,  were  made  upon  canes 
which  had  been  cut  when  the  seed,  but  not  the  juice,  was  mature. 

SUMMARY   OF   THE   ANALYSES  OF   DIFFERENT    VARIETIES. 

In  the  following  table  the  highest  result  attained  by  average  samples 

from  plots  of  the  different  varieties  grown  is  given.     In  nearly  all  cases 

the  sample  Showing  the  highest  content  of  sugar  gave  also  the  best 
results  in  the  other  two  essentials,  viz,  minimum  of  glucose  and  maxi- 
mum <>f  purity;  but  where  this  rule  did  not  hold  good,  the  analysis 
which  showed  superiority  in  two  essentials  was  inserted  as  the  maxi- 
mum analysis  attained  by  the  variety  during  the  season. 


lib 

Maximum  analysis  of  each  variety. 


Variety, 


Swain's  Early  Golden 

Early  Tennessee 

Whiting's  Early  variety 

Black  Amber 

White  Amber 

Early  A nilter  from  New  York 

Karly  Amber  from  Kansas 

Filler's  Early  variety 

Chinese  from  Central  America     

Chinese  from  New  South  Wales 

Chinese  from  Africa  

Chinese  from  United  States 

White  India 

White  India  from  Louisiana 

Karly  Orange  from  Kansas. 

Early  Orange  from  South  Carolina 

Early  Orange  from  Arkansas 

Early  Orange  from  Louisiana 

Kansas  Orange 

New  Orange.. 

Late  Orange  from  New  Jersey 

Medium  Orange '. 

Led  Liberian  from  Missouri 

lied  Liberian  from  Texas 

Golden  Rod 

Honey  Dew 

Dutcher's  Hybrid 

Link's  Hybrid 

Price's  Hybrid 

Planter's  Friend  

Honduras  from   Louisiana 

Honduras  from  Texas 

<  rooseneck 

Wanbansee  .  

White  African 

Texas  Led 


Unnamed  varieties. 


Plot 
Plot 
Pint 
Plot 
Plot 
Plot 
Plot 
Plot 
Pint 

Plot 
Plol 
Plot 

Plot 

Plot 
Plot 
Plot 

Pint 
Plot 


Nu.  9, 
No.  11, 
No.  II. 
No.  15, 
No.  lti, 
No.  22, 
No.  24, 
No.  26, 

NO.:;:: 
No.  36, 

No.  II 
No.f.0 
Na51 

No.:.:! 
Nu.  57, 
No.  61 


United  States. 
South  Africa. . 
United  States 

India  

South  Africa.  . 
Unit,  d  States. 

Africa 

Africa 

Africa 

United  - 

Africa 

A  frica 

United  States. 


United  States. 


No. 

of 
1  lot. 


93 
102 
234 

90 
92 
23 

1 

249 

02 

215 

232 
37 
69 

07 

si 
228 

87 

68 

■4!) 

8S 

89 

235 

72 

73 

95 

•J.V.i 

98 

0 

101 

214 

64 

CO 

70 

230 

22:) 


Date. 


Aug.  24 

Au-.  24 
Aug.  30 

Sept.  7 
Aug.  24 
Aug.  21 

An-  2.". 
Oct.      4 

Oct.  15 
Sept.  17 
Oct.  8 
Oct.  8 
Oct.  9 
Oct.  5 
Sept.  27 
Oct.       5 

Sept.  l!» 

Sept.  15 
Sept.  !i 
Sept.  27 
Oct.  9 
Sept.  20 
Oct.       4 

Sept.  27 
Sept.  5 
Oct.  22 
Sept.  3 
Oct.  5 
Sept    3 

Sept.  30 
Oct.  15 
Oct.  22 
Oct.  22 
Oct.  5 
Sept.  22 
Oct.    10 


A\ .  race 


No.  of 
analy- 


Lr.x. 


Oct 

Oct 

Oct 

Sep 

Oct 

Oct 

Oct 

Oct 
Oct 

Sep 

Oct 
Oct 


Sept 

26 

Oct. 

9 

Oct 

G 

Oct 

0 

Oct. 

19 

Oct 

1!' 

3 

0 

40 

120 


4 

8 

400 
50:; 
210 
50s 
511 
531 
474 
371 
407 
27(1 
001 
523 
375 
540 
341 
402 
307 

9'.) 
000 

- 
466 

84 

4 1  a 

(Ml 

004 

305 
545 


G10 
513 
64G 
347 
014 
643 
497 
515 

2.51 
494 
480 

524 

190 

C.3  4 
030 


is  03 
15.54 
15.1)3 

18.03 
IS.  10 
17.54 
If-.  78 
17.37 
Hi.  29 
17.98 

19.  00 
17.(17 
16.33 
17.58 
Is.  70 
16.53 
17.90 
16.91 
Hi.  25 

17.  00 
1'-.  70 

18.  80 

19.92 

14.35 
18.  in 
Hi  2! 
18.  15 
10.8  4 
2o.5o 
15.54 
15.15 
17.20 
10.32 
17.20 

20.  25 


16.26 

18.  (id 
1-  64 
10.  :n 
17.".' 
18.42 
10  31 
Hi  id 
Hi  '.'7 
15.32 
17.20 
17    4  4 

17.77 
10  H'. 


Su- 

i  rose. 


Gln- 


Uoeni- 

ielltdt 

purity, 


I' r. cent 
12.88 

8.  45 
10.  30 

(i.  50 

12.  M) 
13.70 

13.  18 
11.91 
11.7!) 

9.  70 

12.  4 (i 
13.23 

13.  (U 
11. 'JO 

12.  s2 
13.62 
11.39 
12.90 
12.17 

9.  33 
12.73 
11.84 
13.35 
14.70 

0.  90 
11.02 
10.50 
13.97 
10.77 

13.  8 1 
9  .".4 
9.  .-4 

- 
11.71 
11.10 
13.80 


IV  !- 
6.  55 
13,  84 
12  87 

11.51 

12.72 
11.48 
1 1 . :  8 
11.85 
10.29 
12.  79 
11.87 

12.  so 
in.  57 
0  0  : 
13.66 


Pr.eent 

1 .  92 

1.48 
3.  14 
1.81 

1.  12 
J.  07 
1.40 
1.35 

2.  25 
1.41 
1  1  I 
1.02 

1 .  20 
1.33 
1.72 

2.  26 
1.  13 

1 .  20 
3.07 

2.  32 
I.114 
2.  7  4 
1.81 
4. -48 
2.  62 
2.  14 

.  82 
2.  71 
LOO 
3.24 
2.72 
2.  50 

.01 
1. 67 
2.84 


1.20 

2.  65 


- 


.  .>■> 
.  65 
1.31 

1.  10 

1.00 
1.41 
1.41 
.63 
.66 

l.e.5 
1.01 

2.  27 

2.  32 


11.0.1 


71.44 
54.38 

05.  <J0 
5o.  47 
7.'.  05 
75  69 
75.  14 
71.10 
0  7  r8 
50.  01 

GO.  63 

72.  87 
72.  92 
72.  60 
68.91 

72.H7 
71.07 
58.  6.1 

70.70 

-,o  in 
7o.  is 

74.  :o 

05.  H6 
61.66 

7"'.  72 
0.3.  05 
07.  40 
01.:. 9 
01.  05 
66.  If, 
71.75 
0  4.54 
08.14 


70.  (10 
74.41 

66  4<; 

.17. 7.2 
0.1.  00 
70.  39 
7o.  25 

67.17 

74.30 

- 
72.63 

55.  17 

70.  22 


126 

These  results  arc  quite  interesting  as  furuisliiDg  a  means  of  compar- 
ison of  the  relative  merits  of  the  different  varieties.  Tbe  ten  varieties 
which  stand  highest  in  each  of  the  three  essentials  are  given  below,  in 
the  order  of  their  value. 


List  of  ten  varieties  giving  best  results. 


Variety. 

Sucrose. 

Variety. 

/'« /■  r-  nt. 

]. 

Red  Liber  i  an   . . 

14.76 

1. 

PlotNo.l4,United 

2. 

Link's  Hybrid... 

13.97 

Suites. 

3. 

Plot  No. 14 

13.84 

2 

Plot  No.39,Afiica 

L 

Planter's  Friend 

- 

3. 

Plot  No.  36,Atrici« 

;.. 

Texan  Rod 

13.80 

4. 

Plot  No.  1"..  India. 

15. 

l';r  lv  Amber  . . . 

13  7') 

5 

Link's  Hyhi  id... 

7. 

Early  Orange. . . 

13.02 

B. 

\Vauhaii8<>e 

B. 

Plot   No.  50 

13.28 

1. 

IMotNo.;'0     

'.i. 

Chinese  ......  . 

13.23 

ft 

White  India   ... 

10. 

White  India  ..  . 

13.07 

9. 

10. 

Medium  <  Iranco 
Pint  No.44,United 

States.' 

Glucose. 


Per  cent. 


.60 

.  G5 

.91 
1.01 
1.02 
1.01 
1.05 


Variety. 


I.   Links  Hybrid.. 
.'.   Kai  lv  A  mix  i'  .. 

i.   Plot 'No.  14    

1.   Plot  No.  19    .... 

Ul.-nan   .. 

J    White  India.... 

:.   Plot  No.  50 

*.   Early  Orange  .. 

I.  Plol  No.  51 

i.  Kan  as  <  Grange 


Cot  tin  icnt 
of  purity . 


74.  n 

74.  10 

73.  [Mi 
7:i.  in 
72.  9J 
7:'.  53 
71.  97 


These  lists  comprehend  altogether  eighteen  varieties,  of  which  four 
appear  in  all  three  of  the  lists,  four  on  two,  and  ten  on  only  one,  as 
follows : 


Variety. 

No. 

Variety. 

No. 

Variety. 

■.  ;t 

Plot  No.  :.7 

K    ii  -as  ( trance     . . 
Planter's  Friend  - . 
Texas  lied 

No. 

Plot    No.  14   

Link's  11  ybrid 

plol  50... 

3 
3 
3 
3 
•> 

2 

Red  I.iliei  ian    

Early  Oran»e 

PlotNo.36    

Plot  No.  15 

Waubanseo 

Medium  Orange.. . 

•  > 
l 

1 
1 
1 

White  India- 

Plat  No.  39 

Early  Amber 

1 
1 
1 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  four  varieties  combine  ill  a  high  degree 
the  three  good  qualities  of  a  large  percentage  of  sucrose,  low  content  of 
glucose,  and  high  purity  of  juice.  Link's  Hybrid  and  the  unnamed  va- 
riety No.  ll  divide  honors  for  the  first  place,  both  standing  very  near 
the  top  of  the  list  in  all  three  essentials.    The  former  has  always  proved 

a  good  SUgar  producer   where  it  h;is   had    time   to   mature    before   frost. 

The  Early  Amber  is  not iceable  for  its  high  purity,  five  of  the  plats  of  its 
subvarietics  giving  a  purity  of  over  70.  From  this  quality  doubtless 
arises  its  superiority  as  a  sirup-making  variety.  The  low  content  of 
glucose  in  several  of  the  unnamed  varieties  from  tropical  countries  is 
remarkable,  as  most  of  them  were  not  entirely  mature  before  frost.     Ii 

must  not  be  lost  sight  of  in  comparing  the  varieth  s  on  the  basis  of  the 
analyses  that  the  outward  faults  <  fa  variety  may  entirely  overbalance 
its  value  as  show  n  by  analysis.  The  Link's  Hybrid,  tor  instance,  which 
gives  SUCh  good  results  on  analysis,  has  a  fault  of  form  that  almost  de- 
stroys its  practical  value.     This  point  will  be  considered  further  on. 


127 

II.  Experiments  in  Hybridizing  or  Grossing  Varieties.— 111. 
Experiments  in  Preserving  Sports  or  Variations. 

These  two  methods  of  improvement  may  as  well  be  considered  to- 
gether, for  iu  the  present  condition  of  the  sorghum  plant  it  is  hard  to 
draw  the  line  between  them.  The  different  varieties  which  have  be- 
come established  cross  so  readily  with  one  another  that  where  variations 
occur,  in  a  field  of  cane  for  instance,  it  is  often  difficult  to  say  positively 
whether  it  is  a  true  sport,  whether  it  is  from  oue  seed  of  a  distinct  va- 
riety accidentally  introduced,  or  whether  it  is  from  a  seed  that  had 
been  cross-fertilized  from  a  different  variety.  Doubtless  both  causes 
of  variation  obtain  to  a  large  extent,  for  the  one  is  a  natural  consequence 
of  the  other;  that  is,  on  account  of  the  readiness  with  which  two  in- 
dividuals cross,  a  large  number  of  varieties  have  been  produced,  and  as 
many  of  these  are  not  well  established  or  fixed  they  exhibit  a  constant 
tendency  to  revert  to  original  types,  thus  showing  variations.  Whether 
the  wide  variations  shown  in  the  different  kinds  of  sorghum  are  due 
more  to  crossing  or  more  to  type  variation,  is  a  question  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  discuss  here.  It  is  sufficient  to  show  that  such  capability  for 
variation  does  exist.  In  the  work  done  at  this  station  no  distinction 
could  be  made  between  variations  produced  by  crossing  and  those  which 
were  true  sports.  As  this  season's  work  was  only  the  beginning  it  was 
impossible  to  obtain  true  artificially-produced  crosses;  that  is,  varia- 
tions produced  by  the  careful  cross-fertilization  of  two  distinct  and 
definite  types.  The  plots  called  "  crosses  ;'  were  planted  from  seed- 
heads  obtained  by  Mr.  Denton  from  various  fields  of  sorghum, and  were 
simply  variations  from  the  general  type  of  the  cane  growing  about 
them.  In  the  great  majority  of  cases  the  canes  produced  from  this 
seed  showed  such  well-marked  reversions  to  two  well-defined  types 
that  it  was  a  pretty  fair  presumption  that  they  actually  did  result  from 
the  cross-fertilization  of  those  types.  But  of  course  such  work  should, 
iu  the  future,  be  carried  out  upon  known  types  artificially  cross  fertil- 
ized. 

GENERAL   OBSERVATIONS  ON   GROSSES. 

Kolreuter  says,  "He  who  would  produce   new  varieties   should  cross 
varieties.'9 
Darwin  Bays:  "In  regard  to  the  beneficial  effect  of  crosses  between 

varieties   there   is    plenty  of  evidence."      "The   crossing  of  two   forms 

which  have  long  been  cultivated  implies  that  new  characters  actually 
arise,  some  of  which  may  be  valuable  and  permanent."  "It  would  be 
superfluous  to  quote  more,  for  Gartner,  Herbert,  Sageret,  Lecoq,  Nan- 
din,  and  many  other  eminent  experimenters  speak  of  the  wonderful 
vigor,  size,  tenacity  <»t  lie,  precocity,  ami  hardiness  of  hybrid  produc- 
tions." 

It  is  stated  in  the  Sugar  Beet  *  that  '•  if  a  superior  variety  of  beets  be 
placed  near  another  variety,  the  result  will  be  most  advantageous,  and 
•  Tin  Sugar  Beet,  by  Lew  i-  E.  Ware. 


128 

it   maybe  concluded   from   these  experiments,  which  we  can   indorse. 

that  the  resulting  race  will,  for  the  time  being,  be  richer  in  seed,  and 
that  the  roots  grown  therefrom  will  contain  a  sugar  content,  more  regu- 
lar, etc.,  than  had  existed  in  either." 

In  regard  to  the  effect  of  crossing  varieties,  it  can  be  said  that  it 
seems  to  increase  the  vigor  of  the  plants  sometimes  in  a  wonderful 
degree.  The  crossed  canes  are  often  much  larger  and  taller  and  often 
have  much  heavier  seed-heads  than  either  parent  form.  A  crossed 
cane  is  sometimes  earlier,  often  later,  in  maturing  than  either  parent. 
Some  crosses  breed  true  to  the  new  type  from  the  start,  and  show- 
no  tendenc}'  to  reversion,  but  usually  the  first  season  the  crossed 
seeds  are  planted  some  of  the  plants  revert,  some  to  one  parent 
form,  some  to  the  other;  some  are  intermediate  forms.  If,  now, 
seed  of  the  type  preferred  is  selected  and  planted  again,  the  new  plants 
show  less  tendency  to  revert;  by  continuing  the  selection  and  throwing 
out  varying  forms  the  new  type  is  fixed  and  becomes  a  new  variety. 
There  is  greater  tendency  to  reversion  in  "violent"  crosses  between 
dissimilar  forms  than  in  crosses  of  allied  forms.  A  cross  may  be  slight 
or  complete;  in  fact  there  may  be  several  crosses  between  two  varieties. 
For  instance,  a  fixed  cross  between  the  Early  Amber  and  the  Orange 
may  resemble  the  Early  Amber  more.  Another  cross  between  the  same 
varieties  may  resemble  the  Orange  more.  Three  canes  taken  from  a 
plot  of  this  last  cross  showed  by  analysis  a  higher  percentage  of  sugar 
than  any  other  in  the  season's   work,  with  one  exception. 

ADVANTAGES  OF   SOKGHUM   OVER   SUGAR-CANE   ON   ACCOUNT   OF  THE 
EASE  WITH   WHICH  VARIATIONS  ARE    PRODUCED  IN  THE  FORMER. 

Dr.  Morris,  formerly  director  of  the  Jamaica  Botanical  Gardens, 
where  an  experimental  plantation  of  sixty  to  seventy  varieties  of  the 
BUgar  cane  is  maintained,  in  an  address  before  the  London  Chamber  of 
Commerce  said : 

■•  It  is  well  kuOWD  that  the  BUgar  Cano  docs  not  produce  seed,  and  hence  it  is  im- 
possible to  improve  it  by  any  processes  of  hybridizing  and  crossing  found  so  benefi- 
cial toother  plants.  New  varieties  amongst  sugar  canes  mis,'  generally  in  the  form 
of  bud  variation.  Thos<  occur  very  seldom,  and  possibly  amougst  thousands  of  acres 
nut  one  cane  will  bodctected  which  exhibits  any  well-marked  characteristics.  Plant- 
ers, however,  should  lie  keen  to  notice  any  canes  that  show  a  departure  from  the 
types,  and  should  cultivate  the  m  separately.  If  the  sugar  cane  were  capable  of  be- 
ing improved  purel)  by  cultivation  and  experimental  processes  like  those  which 
have  improved  the  beet,  this  would  be  on  •  of  the  mosl  effective  means  of  benefiting 

t  he   iudusl  IV." 

GENERAL   OBSERVATIONS   <»N  SPORTS   OH    SPONTANEOUS    VARIATIONS. 

It  is  well  known  that  new  varieties  sometimes  suddenly  and  spon- 
taneously appear  in  plants.    They  arc  created  by  bud  variation.    A 

peach  tree  suddenly  produces  :i  branch  which  yields  nectarines j  a 
plum  tree  which  had  yielded  yellow  plums  for  forty  years  produced  a 

sin;  le  luid  which  produced  ;i  ne  ,v  and  valuable  permanent  variety,  (he 

Bed  Magnum  Bouum  plum, 


129 

The  variations  in  the  tropical  sugar  cane  are  entirely  produced  in 
that  way,  as  has  already  been  shown  by  the  statements  of  Professor 
Morris  just  quoted. 

In  Mauritius  a  sugar  cane  of  the  ribbon  variety  produced  two  new 
canes,  a  green  cane  and  a  red  cane.  This  was  considered  an  astonish- 
iug  variation  there.  The  causes  of  such  variations  are  unknown.  It  is 
only  known  that  they  do  occur,  and  that  valuable  new  varieties  some- 
times suddenly  appear  in  that  way. 

The  history  of  some  of  the  varieties  of  sorghum  would  seem  to  indi- 
cate, so  far  as  it  is  possible  to  obtain  accurate  information  of  such  mat- 
ters, that  they  originated  in  this  way. 

In  Indiana,  in  a  field  of  Chinese  cane,  a  single  cane  ripened  two  weeks 
earlier  than  the  other  canes.  This  variation  was  preserved  and  named 
the  Early  Amber.  It  is  the  most  widely  known  of  all  the  varieties  of 
sorghum.  In  the  experimental  field  of  this  station  there  were  growing 
Early  Amber  canes  received  from  New  South  Wales,  from  Cape  Town, 
and  from  many  places,  showing  its  wide  distribution. 

In  New  York,  in  a  field  of  Early  Amber,  only  one  cane  ripened  before 
frost.  This  variation  was  preserved  and  named  by  as  Whiting's  Early 
Variety.  It  matures  ten  days  earlier  than  the  Early  Amber.  It  seems 
to  be  a  sport  from  a  sport. 

In  Tennessee,  in  a  field  of  Honduras,  a  single  cane  ripened  two  weeks 
earlier  than  the  other  canes.  This  variation  was  preserved  and  was 
named  Link's  Hybrid.  It  is  one  of  the  best  varieties  of  sorghum  for 
sugar  manufacture. 

It  is  probable  that  other  cane-growers  have  seen  as  valuable  vari- 
ations in  their  cane  fields,  and  have  not  recognized  their  importance. 
It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  each  of  these  variations  was  noticed  and 
was  preserved  merely  because  it  chanced  to  ripen  earlier  than  the  other 
canes  in  the  same  field,  and  not  because  its  other  qualities  were  recog- 
nized at  the  time. 

In  the  effort  to  improve  the  sorghum  plant  all  such  variations  from 
type  should  be  analyzed  to  determine  their  value  in  sugar  manufacture. 

WORK  AT  THE   STERLING   STATION  (>N    CROSSES   OB    VARIATIONS. 

It  may  be  Said  of  the  work  done  here   in  this  direction  that   in   tbc 

first  place  it  established  positively,  in  the  judgment  of  those  in  charge, 
the  fact  of  the  very  strong  tendency  of  this  plant  toward  variability.    This 

fact  has,  of  course,  been  frequently  noticed  ami  commented  upon  here- 
tofore, but  as  it  seems  essential  that  it  should  be  thoroughly  and  geil« 
orally  understood,  we  think  it  advisable  to  enter  into  an  exposition  of 
the  evidence  that  was  obtained  to  justify  us  in  coming  to  the  very  de- 
cided conclusion  we  adopted  upon  this  point  The  plots  which  were 
planted  as  »  crosses  n  at  this  station  were  in  even  case  from  single  -red- 
heads, selected  by  Mr.  Denton,  which  were  very  carefully  thrashed  and 
cleaned,  special  precautions  being  taken  to  prevent  any  accidental  ad- 
J  1050—  Dull.  20 9 


130 


mixture  of  seed  from  other  sources.  These  plots  were  then  in  every 
ease  the  product  of  a  single  head;  they  showed,  in  the  majority  of 
cases,  the  greatest  variation  among  the  individual  canes. 

This  variability  is  well  shown  by  a  series  of  photographs  taken  by 
us,  which  were  intended  to  be  reproduced  as  illustrations  of  this  re- 
port. Unfortunately  the  fund  provided  for  such  illustrations  was  ex- 
hausted at  the  time  this  bulletin  was  sent  to  the  press,  so  that  they  had 
to  be  omitted.  They  represent  a  number  of  seed-he;uls,  all  taken  from 
the  same  plot,  which  showed  striking  variations  from  either  parent 
type,  as  well  as  gradations  running  back  to  each.  In  a  plot  planted 
from  a  single  seed-head  which  was  evidently  a  cross  between  the  Orange 
and  India,  for  instance,  heads  were  selected  which  gave  the  greatest 
variations  and  gradations  between  the  India  type,  with  its  white  seeds 
and  rather  loose  head,  to  the  Orange,  with  its  reddish-colored  seeds  and 
compact  head.  Another  represents  the  range  of  variations  between  the 
Honduras  and  Red  Liberian,  two  widely  different  varieties,  with  the 
small  round  seed  of  the  Liberian  type  set  closely  on  the  sprangle  top 
head  of  the  Honduras.  These  photographs  of  the  widely  different  types 
produced  from  a  single  seed-head  would  convince  any  one,  we  think, 
of  the  great  ease  with  which  variations  can  be  produced  in  sorghum. 

LIST   OF   CROSSES. 

The  following  list  gives  the  number  of  the  experimental  plot  with  the 
probable  parents  of  some  of  the  crosses  grown  this  season.  Many  plots 
are  not  included,  as  the  characters  shown  by  the  canes  did  not  distinctly 
indicate  the  origin  of  the  variation. 


No.  of 
Plot. 

Probable  cross. 

No.  of 
Plot. 

Probable  cross. 

no 

New  Orange  and  Earl;  Orao  - 

163 

India  ami  Orange. 

111 

Chinese  and  Liberian. 

1  (•».-) 

India  and  Amber. 

112 

Kansas  Orange  and  Amber. 

IG'i 

Do. 

114 

Golden  Rod— cross. 

107 

India-  i 

116 

Orange  and  A.  mber. 

l>n. 

117 

Kansas  Orange  and  Amber. 

171 

Kansas  Orange  and  India. 

UK 

Liberian  and  Golden  Rod. 

172 

New   (  Mai;  [  1 

120 

A  mber  and  Kansas  <  Grange. 

17.1 

India     oroSS. 

121 

(ii. in-.'  and  White  India 

171 

India  and  Amber. 

122 

Orange  and  Chim 

IT.". 

NYw  Orange  and  Earlj  Orange. 

124 

India-  ■ 

17fi 

Orange— cross. 

127 

India  and  Ouldrn  Rod. 

17K 

India  ami  Orange. 

128 

I'M. 

17i» 

India  -cross. 

129 

ItU. 

180 

Orange  and    India. 

131 

Orange  ami  I odia. 

181 

Do. 

182 

India  and  Golden  Rod. 

India  and  Amber. 

183 

inge  and  I  ml  in. 

1*:: 

India — oroSS. 

i:;t 

Orange  and  Golden  lio>\. 

184 

Orange  and  India. 

Earl]  Orange  ami  A  mini. 

Oran 

<  Grange  and  India. 

188 

and  I ndia. 

137 

India  and  Amber. 

187 

Do. 

lhK 

Do. 

189 

and  India. 
Do. 

Orange— ore 

lio 

I'.'l 

Do. 

ii  ■ 

I  till  i .  l      i 

l!». 

Orange  and  India. 

in 

<  (range  and  Amber. 

198 

Kansas  <  (range  and  India. 

m; 

Kansas  < (range  ami  Golden  Rod. 

197 

India— cross. 

117 

Kansas  Orange  and  New  Orange. 

200 

i  (range— ci  ■ 

151 

i  and  Imiia. 

201 

Da 

i    ■ 

■  I  Eai  Ij  A  mber. 

202 

'<          cross. 

ri 

Amber  ami  New  < (range. 

India  ami  Orange. 

166 

Orange    oroea. 

206 

Orangt 

A  ml>i  i      en 

India-  ' 

India  and  Orange. 

211 

Orange  and  India. 

161 

Kansa -  Orange  and  India. 

212 

India  and  Orange. 

— » 

131 


ANALYSES   OP   THE   CROSSES. 

The  following  table  gives  the  analyses  made  of  average  samples 
taken  from  tbe  different  plots: 

Analyses  of  Hybrids  and  Crosses. 


No  of 
plot,    i    Date. 

Xo  of 

analysis. 

Degree 
lirix. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

Co-effi- 
cient of 
purity. 

Percent. 

Per  cent. 

r 

Aug.  29 

31 

14.  65 

9.45 

2.19 

64.50 

Aug.  31 

55 

15.16 

9.24 

2.69 

60.  95 

no  <; 

Sept.    6 

110 

16.  42 

10.  65 

2.46 

64.86 

Sept.  20 

28'J 

18.  32 

13.  08 

1.28 

71.39 

i 

Sept.  27 

374 

17.56 

12.39 

1.48 

70.41 

Oct.      9 

541 

18.  04 

12.  54 

1.96 

69.51 

112 

Aug.  29 

32 

13.82 

9.04 

1.36 

65.  41 

113  J 

Sept.  12 

162 

17.42 

11.40 

2.36 

65.  44 

Sept.  27 

376 

ia  78 

13.49 

1.77 

71.83 

115  J 

Sept.  12 

163 

13.70 

6.  08 

3.76 

44.37 

Sept.  12 

164 

16.36 

10.08 

2.57 

61.61 

(     Sept.  24 

324 

1 4.  22 

7.25 

3.57 

50.98 

117        Sept.  27 

377 

14.26 

7.78 

3.00 

54.56 

ivnj      Aug.  31 

57 

11.50 

4.44 

3.40 

38.60 

120  \ 

Sept  12 

166 

13.51 

7.63 

3.08 

56.47 

122 

Aug.  30 

35 

8.14 

2.42 

2.  53 

29.73 

132 

Oct.    11 

562 

15.67 

10.90 

1.47 

69.56 

133 

Oct.    11 

561 

16.15 

10.  39 

2.83 

64.33 

134  | 

Sept.  13 

169 

13.  9J 

6.96 

3.47 

63.  03 

Oct.    11 

560 

15.67 

9.  82 

2.18 

62.  66 

135 

Oct.   11 

559 

16.65 

11.05 

1.96 

66.36 

136 

Oct.    11 

558 

M.  15 

12.24 

1.82 

67.  43 

137 

Oct   11 

557 

19.35 

14.49 

.90 

74.  h8 

144 

Sept  27 

379 

16.06 

10.02 

2.  29 

62.  39 

140 

Aug.  30 

34 

10.  72 

3.89 

3.65 

36.  29 

147  J 

Sept  12 

165 

14.70 

7.  85 

3.15 

53.  40 

Sept.  27 

378 

16.82 

10.97 

2.48 

65.  22 

148 

Sept.    6 

112 

13.  09 

6.34 

2.30 

48.  43 

< 

Aug.  31 

52 

12  62 

6.30 

2.38 

49.  92 

152  <     Sept.    6 

109 

13.34 

6.93 

1.96 

51.95 

I     Sept.  13 

172 

15.  97 

10.  38 

1.35 

64.  99 

153 

Sept  13 

179 

15.  63 

9.58 

2.12 

61.29 

( 

Aug.  30 

36 

14.25 

7.49 

3.35 

52.56 

154  l 

Sept,  6 

108 

14.63 

8.  65 

2.95 

59. 12 

I 

Sept.  13 

171 

9.  65 

2.  23 

61.07 

20.J     Sept.  15 
^\     Sept  29 

201 

10.  33 

9.77 

3.41 

59.  8:5 

407 

16.94 

10.77 

2.34 

63.  58 

20G       Sept.  15 

200 

12.  73 

6.20 

3.12 

4,^.70 

207       Sept.  15 

203 

11.52 

4.: >4 

3.01 

42.  01 

2085    Sept.  28 
^    Sept.  15 

18 

12.60 

6.06 

2.59 

48.  lo 

205 

17.23 

11.35 

1.53 

65.  87 

209      Sept  15 

206 

13.92 

8.24 

2.37 

59.  20 

210      Sept  15 

210 

15.30 

8.  35 

1.90 

54.57 

on  S    Sept  15 
^u  )     Sept  20 

14.40 

7.74 

2.  80 

53.  75 

2S1 

14.82 

8.75 

2.  39 

59.  04 

212      Sept  15 

211 

14.53 

1.99 

59.  67 

158       Bept  14 

180 

15.62 

2.  6U 

161  5   ■ 

178 

13.  06 

6.  74 

51.61 

Sept.  14 

15.72 

1.88 

162 

Sept.    14 

L86 

15.90 

9.  94 

L.84 

62.51 

163 

Sept.    14 

185 

15  90 

10.  18 

2.  18 

64.  02 

( 

Aug.  30 

10.75 

47.35 

1C5  ^     Sept.  13 

170 

6 :.  78 

(    Sept.  20 

404 

10.70 

10.92 

166  J 

Aug.  80 

10.32 

3.  90 

2.  65 

Sept.    13 

174 

12.  04 

8.27 

1.98 

Aug.  28 

12.(17 

6.91 

3.  00 

Sept  13 

Ir:, 

14.92 

1.04 

c 

Aug.  80 

37 

11.88 

170  { 

Sept.    13 

176 

13.47 

L68 

I 

Sept.  15 

1.74 

m<    Sept  13 
171  \    Sept  14 

177 

15.  (i7 

3.  L'U 

7.  29 

3.13 

51.34 

m\    Sept  18 
"-<     Septl4 

178 

H.I  i 

53.  13 

182 

li   32 

- 

178       Aug.  81 

1 1 .  82 

4.24 

8  84 

(     A.ug.81 

51 

12.  7--. 

4.  42 

185  <    Sept  14 

187 

14.  10 

(    Sept.  20 

279 

15  70 

2.21 

57.  70 

191       Bept  it 

189 

7.49 

3.  o2 

52.01 

Sept  14 

190 

132 


Analyses  of  Hybrids  and  C 

rosscs — Continued. 

No.  of 
plot. 

Date. 

No.  of 
analysis. 

lUix. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

Co-effi- 
cient of 
purity. 

I 

1 

194 

Sept..  H 

191 

12.93 

6.54 

1.83 

50.  58 

]!■(! 

Sept.  15 

"     198 

Iti.  82 

11.12 

6ii.  1 1 

197 

Sept.  15 

197 

14.62 

7.53 

3.64 

51.50 

1!)!) 

St-pt.  15 

199 

16.  12 

2.  7  J 

60.  «.i8 

200 

Sept  15 

202 

13.08 

<;.  05 

3.  15 

40.54 

Au -r.  28 

21 

13.  04 

6.  82 

52.  30 

Sept.  15 

207 

15.54 

9.42 

2.  65 

00.  01 

203  $ 

Aug.  30 

40 

12.61 

t:.  35 

2.  63 

50.  23 

Sept.  15 

208 

13.  42 

7.  57 

1.71 

56.41 

After  a  number  of  these  analyses  of  large  samples  had  been  made, 
it  was  concluded  to  discontinue  them,  for  the  individual  canes  varied  so 
much  that  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  samples  which  would  represent 
the  plot,  except  in  the  few  cases  where  the  character  of  the  plot  was 
uniform.  In  some  cases  the  plot  could  be  thrown  out,  where  the  aver- 
age samples  showed  a  very  poor  analysis.  The  work  was  thenceforth 
confined  to  analyses  of  individual  canes,  selected  with  a  view  to  per- 
manence of  type.  A  very  large  number  of  samples  were  taken  in  this 
way,  the  seed  heads  removed,  marked  with  a  number  corresponding  to 
the  analysis  and  preserved.  The  juice  was  polarized,  and  from  each  plot 
one  or  more  samples  which  gave  the  best  results,  and  Which  were  to  be 
reserved  for  future  planting,  were  subjected  to  complete  analysis,  so  as 
to  have  a  complete  pedigree  of  the  cane.  The  following  table  gives 
the  results  of  some  of  the  individual  canes  from  the  crosses;  only  the 
besl  samples  in  each  plot  are  given,  and  these  analyses  are  only  a  frac- 
tion of  the  whole  number  made  and  recorded  at  the  station: 

Ana  hjses  of  Crosses. 


No.  of 
plot. 


10!) 
113 


120 : 


123 


124 


128 


129  < 


l.:o 


131 


Date. 


Sept.  vi 
Oct.    io 

(Id.       10 

on.  10 
Sop!  28 
Sept.  28 
Sept.  24 
Sept.  28 
S<  |.t.  28 
Sept.  28 
Sept.  28 
Sept.  28 
Oet.  1" 
o.i.  hi 
on.    io 

Sept.  28 
on.    jo 

Oct.  Io 
on.  io 
Oct.    l' 

Si  |.i  28 
Sept.  28 
Oct.  io 
Oct.    io 

on.  io 
on.    io 


No.  of 
analysis 


I 
Brix. 


463 
1009 

1070 
1071! 

Kill 

53] 
542 

.MO 

549 
1040 

in  ,i 
1052 

1010 

urn 
1042 

Io.",  | 

1' ... 
1059 


1  o.  5 1 
18,50 
18   CO 

17.  12 
15.  12 
17.00 

18,  12 
17.  20 
18.78 

n;  II 
L7.30 

I  -    i0 

13.81 

16  .i  . 
17.  oo 

is.  :it 

i!».  :;: 
19.00 

Ml.  i,o 

20.00 


Sucrose. 


10.31 

i:;.  n 

13.24 

ia  io 

LI.  80 

11.37 
12.61 

11.:::! 

18.48 

11.33 

12.96 

1 2.  or, 

13.  37 
II  II 
18.96 

I.",  2d 

1  l.  20 

li  88 

I 
1  L.48 


Glucose. 


2.81 


l  io 


T 

12 

1 



1 

2o 

l 



... 

2.  03 


Co  .  fo- 
ri, nl  of 
purity. 


02.  :;;i 

73.  60 

71.  14 

CO.  I'll 

72.  58 

69.04 

74.  86 

72  80 

40.  75 
io  84 

71    I, 

72.  78 
71.7! 
74.  33 
7  1   21 

73.  77 

71  Ml 

71.09 

72  io 


133 


Analyses  of  Crosses — Coutinued. 


No.  of 
plot. 


132  j 

133  j 

( 

! 

i3.v; 

i 
f 

I 

r 

137  J 

I 

138  j 
139 


142. 
143 

in 

lis: 

140  • 

14- 

151  <j 

152 
153  < 

155  J 

156  j 
157 

101  j 

102  J 


Date. 


Sept.  28 
Sept.  28 
Sept.  28 
Oct  11 
Sept.  29 
Sept.  29 
Sept.  29 

Sept.  2!) 
Sept.  29 

Oct.    li 

Sept.  29 
Sept.  2'.) 
Sept  29 
Oct.  11 

Sept  29 
Sept.  29 

Sept.  29 

Sept.  29 

Sept.  29 
Sept.  29 

Sept.  29 
Sept.  29 
Oct.  13 
Sept.  23 
Sept.  29 
Sept.  29 
Sept  2'.» 
Oct.  10 
Oct.  10 
Oct.  10 
Sept.  29 

Sept.  29 
Sept.  29 

Oct.  10 
Oct.  10 
Sept.  29 
Sept.   29 

Oct.  10 
Sept  29 

Si  pt.  29 

Sept  :9 
Sept.  19 
Sept 

Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct 
Oct 

Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 

Oct 

Oct. 

0»  t. 
Oct 

Oct. 

Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 


on. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

0  t. 

Oct. 
Oct. 

Oct. 

o.  t. 

Oct 
Oct 

0  t 


JE&  bsT  ■—■* 


502 
503 
585 

1229 
571 
572 
573 
574 
577 

1218 
578 
582 
583 

1200 
584 
585 
586 
587 
588 
589 
590 
593 

1043 
012 
G13 
014 
GIG 

1104 

1105 

1092 
621 
023 
024 

1095 

1099 
625 
028 

10S7 

003 
600 
007 
Oil 
040 
1233 
12:;  7 
1242 
047 
(51 
052 

li::; 
660 
061 

003 

666 

071 
1277 
12-7 

691 
695 
705 

707 

710 
711 

711 

719 
722 
724 

14450 
1483 
1491 


19.42 

18.  -M 
15.  55 

20.  05 
10.07 

19.  57 

19.87 

20.  37 

18.  40 

21.13 

17.90 
10.  00 
17.00 

19.  03 

]8.7o 
20.20 
21.50 
18.70 
IK  00 

1 8.  68 

17.  78 

17.18 

21.21 
19.88 

19.14 

19.  8L 

20.  07 

18.  07 
19.00 
19.28 
17.38 
10.  98 
18.20 
1  -.  27 

18.  7o 
17.60 
16.58 

15.87 
18.  28 
17.68 

19.2<i 
21.33 

18.  00 

22.50 

20.  09 
16.82 
16.63 
18.62 
18.21 
17.65 

18.  17 

19.70 

17.97 
20.47 

1-   H 

19.  17 

18.50 

18.50 
16.50 

20.50 

19.78 


Co-effi- 

Glucose      cient  of 

;    purity. 


13.  52 
12.90 

15.03 
10.94 

13.39 
14.34 
14.01 
12.58 
16.33  ! 

12.  51 
10.  80 
12.30 

13.  09 
13.68 
15.  32 
16.26 
13.59 
13.24 
13.54 
13.45  j 
11.44 
13.75 
14.44 
15.54 
13.02 
14.31 
14.95 
13.  14 

13.  86 
14.08 
11.92 
11.54 
12.74 
13.71 
13.91 
13.07 
12.39 
11.47 
11.01 
12.41 
12.  58 

1 5.  78 
11.29 

14.75 
13.60 

14.  75 
12  36 

17.18 

16    8', 

1 4.  27 
11.9*1 

10.  (Ml 

12  15 
10.90 

12.40 
1  2.  1 1 

i.-,.  10 

1  i   39 

12.  (Ml 

12.07 
15.53 
13.09 

1  i  29 
1 4.  52 
14.06 

L2  o:. 

1  1 .  50 
12.78 

I  :.  10 
14    15 

II  mi 

I 


Percent. 
1.65 


1.93 


1.29 
"."77" 


1.  21 
.81 


.09 


2.  33 


1.98 

i.'io' 


1.82 


1.09 

'i.'o:V 


1.57 


.01 
1.  06 


.81. 
.81 

1.24 


.75 


69.  G2 

70.  22 
57.0  4 

72.  78 

68.  08 
68.42 
72.17 
69.21 

08.  37 
77.  2fl 

09.  89 

07.  50 
72.71 

08.  79 
73.10 
75.84 
7:>.  03 
72.07 

73.  56 
72.  4  A 
75.  65 
00.  59 
04.  83 
72.64 

74.  78 

71.  16 

72.  24 
74.  49 
72.71 
72.  05 
7.;.  14 

67.90 

70.  00 
75.0  4 
72.  15 

70.40 

69.  18 

7:;.  10 

07.; -9 
71.15 

7  J  G6 

69.  15 
68.67 

71.89 
71.03 

60.  13 

59  60 

7m.  78 

74.40 

- 

71.nl 
72.18 

71.  14 

7  :.  77 

7,1  0  I 
7o  24 

71.  If. 
81.  11 

76.04 


134 


Analyses  of  Crosses — Continued. 


No.  of 
plot. 


167. 
168< 

171 
IT:; 

174 

175 
176 

^8 


179  j 

180 1 

181  j 
182 

! 


184 : 

1,-7 

208  j 

209  j 


212 


238 


Date. 

Oct 

1 

on. 

1 

Oct 

1 

Oct. 

1 

Oct. 

1 

Oct. 

2 

Oct 

'> 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

10 

Oct. 

12 

Oct 

12 

Oct. 

12 

Oct 

12 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

12 

Oct. 

12 

Oct. 

2 

0<  t. 

2 

Oct. 

.2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct 

o 

Oct, 

2 

Oct, 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

13 

Oct. 

2 

Oct 

o 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

o 

Oct. 

12 

Oct. 

12 

Or,. 

12 

Oct. 

12 

Oct. 

12 

Oct 

12 

Oct. 

12 

Ol. 

13 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oot 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

2 

Oct. 

2 

<»,  1. 

2 

Oot 

13 

Oct. 

9 

O,  I. 

'.i 

O.   1. 

5 

Oct. 

:. 

Oct 

6 

Oct. 

5 

Oct 

5 

Oct 

Oct. 

5 

Oot 

8 

Oct 

Oct. 

H 

Oct. 

Oct 

8 

Oct. 

Oct 

H 

Oct 

8 

0  i 

- 

o,  t. 

8 

O,  |. 

8 

Oot 

L6 

No.  of 
analysis. 


730 
731 
735 
737 

7-18 
719 
750 
751 
7.".:! 
7.'»4 
758 
1067 
1  120 
1430 
1431 
1433 
762 
7015 
1412 
14)7 
709 
771 
770 
777 
778 
7,-1 
788 
789 
793 
795 

1580 
802 

804 
811 

812 

818 

K2o 

1357 

1339 

1340 

1342 

1344 

1315 

1348 

1578 

M0 

810 

821 
8i':i 
827 
828 
829 
830 
831 
1516 
1028 
1030 
081 
082 

984 

',01 

1002 

IK.", 

1008 
1010 

lull 

1012 
1014 

lo  I.", 
10  JO 

1021 


I 
I'.rix. 


Sucrose. 


17.98 
17.96 
16.08 
18.20 
18.  60 

18.011 

18.82 
16.93 

17.:!:: 
20.30 
10.00 

19.83 
21.20 

23.  oo 
22.00 

22.  50 
21.70 

18.43 
18.03 

21.60 

20.  78 
18.20 

17.  50 
19.93 
L8.35 
18.95 

19.00 

10.00 
19.50 
lx.  70 
17.20 

21.  00 
17.20 
17.  20 
20.  00 
18.50 
17.00 
IT.oo 
20.28 
20.  45 

22.  26 
20.  Oli 
21.78 
21.48 
21.00 
•jo.  on 
10.00 
19.00 

L8.20 

20.  03 
18.27 

17.43 
18.23 
l'.i.  oil 
10.63 
18.(0 
20.  82 
17    18 

17.82 

19.03 

1  8.  'JO 

is.  70 
18.70 
18.20 
19.00 

10.   10 

Ifl  30 
20.  1 1 
L9.  17 

1-  in 

10  17 
19.20 


Per  a  nt. 

12.55 
11.77 
12.  08 
13.51 
14.98 
12.57 
i::.  06 

12.  l:! 
12.00 
14.44 

13.  51 
13.89 

14.  28 
14.77 
15.73 
16.  28 
16.29 
13.26 
12.  35 
14.86 
14.32 
1  2.  1 1 
11.61 
14.81 

12.  97 
14.  14 

13.  91 
13.33 

14.  32 
13.54 
12.41 
1 :,  8 1 
11.97 
12.31 

11.  11 
13.26 
11.78 
10.47 
l:;.  06 
14.97 
15.70 
14.90 
1G.  40 
15.38 
15.27 
1 3.  56 

12.  16 
12.00 

II.  i:; 

1.:.  15 
13.28 
12.40 
13.08 
14  10 
II.  M 

13.  14 
15.71 
i:i.  14 
L2.63 
13.28 
18.84 
[2.04 
1  L65 
18.44 

12.88 

14   00 

15.24 

1       I. 

13.65 

14.  18 

13.28 
1.1.5  1 

18.71 


Olueose. 


/'-  /■  a  nt. 


.75 


1.53 


1.90 


1.10 

2.02 


2.05 


1.76 


1.29 


1.05 


1.53 


1.01 


1.28 

!.  17 


1.38 


2.07 


1  55 


Coeffi- 
cient of 
purity. 


69.80 
G5.  53 

72.  42 

74.  23 
80.51 
69.83 
74.18 
71.65 
GO.  24 
71.13 
71.11 

G7.3G 

71.50 

72.  36 

75.  07 
71.89 
68.  50 
68.80 

68.  91 
66.  54 

66.  34 
74.  31 
70.68 

74.  62 
73.21 
7(1.  16 

:  .  U 

72.41 
72.15 

75.  29 

69.  59 
71.57 
70.70 
71.68 

69.  29 
61.59 

73.  20 

70.  53 

71.00 

71.60 
72.  71 

67.  80 

71.87 
71.00 

7:t.  62 
74.33 

71.  14 
71.75 
74.33 
75.  60 
7::.  00 
78  10 
75.  17 
66.  00 

71.  10 
75.  18 
71.87 

70.77 
7o.  89 

70.  0  1 

70.01 

75.  56 

70.  78 
G8.  55 


135 

Plots  ]STo.  153  and  184  gave  some  of  the  best  results,  the  latter  espe- 
cially giving  a  great  many  individuals  with  a  high  sugar  content ;  there 
was  a  great  deal  of  variation  in  type,  however. 


ANALYSES   OF   VARIATIONS   IN   STANDARD   VARIETIES. 

The  following  table  gives  the  results  of  analyses  of  individuals  canes 
which  were  taken  from  the  plots  of  some  standard  varities,  and  which 
showed  some  desirable  variation  from  the  type  of  the  variety.  The  va- 
riations chosen  were  in  the  line  of  the  improvement  of  the  variety.  For 
example,  the  variations  of  Honduras  were  individuals  which  ripened 
earlier  than  the  rest  of  the  plot;  those  of  the  Link's  Hybrid  were  canes 
that  showed  more  or  less  freedom  from  the  faults  of  the  variety,  etc.  As 
with  the  crosses,  the  analyses  given  are  the  chosen  ones  of  a  large  number 
of  analyses,  for  none  of  the  canes  which  showed  simply  an  improvement 
in  external  characters  were  saved  unless  they  showed  at  the  same  time 
a  good  content  of  sugar  and  a  high  coefficient  of  purity.  The  samples 
in  which  glucose  was  determined  are  the  individuals  chosen  for  future 

planting. 

Analyses  of  variations  in  standard  varieties. 

HONDURAS. 


No.  of 

Date 

Xo.  of 

Degr<  «• 

plot. 

analysis. 

Brix. 

225-G 

Sept.     3 

263 

14.43 

Sept.       I! 

26G 

13.53 

Sept.    :; 

2ti7 

13.47 

Sept   it 

306 

17.  J-t 

Sept   17 

313 

1^.7- 

Sept.     17 

318 

IS.  33 

Sept.    20 

330 

15.35 

Sept   20 

• 

18.2S 

Sept   20 

330 

14.78 

Del.       'JO 

21K) 

19.10 

Oct.       '_'() 

2117 

2O.0O 

Oct     20 

2118 

20.00  1 

9.07 
8.40 
S.  10 
12.14 
12.59 
12.28 
11.19 
12.70 
9.94 
13.  37 
14.05 
14.90 


Glucose. 


I'er  cent.     1\  r  c<  nt. 


1.83 

2.  37 


.7:1 
1.  18 

2.71 


1.02 


Coeffi- 
cient of 

purity. 


60.58 

07.  IT. 
00.  91) 
72.  90 
0D.4  7 
07.  25 
70.  00 
7o.  25 
74  50 


w.wn.w- 


230 


Sept  21 

Sept.  21 

Sept  21 

Sept  21 

Sept.  21 

Si  pt.  21 


31o 
341 
312 
311 
317 

393 


1  B.  32 
17.  r.J 
15.31 
14.85 
15.85 
l :..:;-» 


l ::.  oi  .99 

12.07 



!'.  71     

lo. lit    

1.  13 


71    IS 

62.  47 

01.29 
02.41 


WHITING'S  EARLY 


Sept  2:. 
Sept   2.". 
Sept   23 
Sept    25 
Sept   2:. 
Sept   2.". 
Sept    25 
Sept    25 
Sept   20 

471 
472 
171 

176 

477 
480 

18.75 
16.  18 
17.30 

10.02 
IS.  IS 

1>    1  : 

n;  65 

i  ;  2.'.    

11.63      

11.72     

70.  07 

7o.  t . . 

07.  10 

77.00 
72.  :;7 

11.71     

1".  21 

12.63    

1 3.96              .'.'1 

12.  o-,    

11.71     

13G 

Analyses  of  variations  in  standard  varieties — Continued. 
LATE  ORANGE. 


No.of       r»„«„         No.  of 

plot.    !      Uate-        :uia]y>is. 

»sr  s««« . 

Glucose. 

Coeffi 

cieiit  of 
parity. 

89    Sept.   25 
S<  pt    25 
Sept   25 

492 
498 

500 

/'•  /•  cent. 
16.  68           10.  73 
18.  18           12.07 
18.78          13.64 

Per  cent. 
2.94 

64.33 
66.  39 
72.  S3 

EARLY  ORANGE. 


68 

Sept  28 
Sept,  28 
Sept  28 
Sept   28 

520 
521 
522 

529 

17.91            12.89 
17.21            14.42 
16.31             14.43 
15.83           10.21 

71.97 
83.79 
88.47 
64.50 

.76 

WHITE  MAMMOTH. 


67 

.  Oct. 

3 
3 
3 
3 
3 

867 

871 
893 

882 

19.45 

19.00 
18.62 
19.20 
19.  00 

13.29 
13.81 
14.12 
14.04 
13.86 

68.  33 

72.  68 

75.  83 

73.  13 

72.  95 

Oct. 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct. 

1.37 

CHINESE. 

232 

Oct. 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
0  i. 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct. 

3 
3 
3 
3 
3 
3 
3 
ii 
3 
3 

901 
907 
9o0 
910 
911 
912 
954 
955 
962 
973 

18.58 
18.70 

18.  70 
19.85 

19.  08 
17.35 
18.24 
1 9.  84 
19.  19 
19.  17 

13.36 
14.44 
13.39 
14  35 
14.79 
1  2.  55 

12.95 

14.50 

13.70 
14.  10 

71.91 
77.  22 
71.60 
72.  29 
77.  52 

72.  33 
71.00 

71.70 

73.  55 



1.06 

LINK'S  1 1 N  l ,  1 :  1 1  >. 


Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
0«  I 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 


92 1 

B 

19.20 

637 

21.38 

938 

20.  is 

941 

18.51 

942 

944 

21.20 

946 

L5.50 
ll  15 
15.60 
15  24 
13.87 
ll  13 
15  Bl 
16.93 


73.  70 
72  '.'7 

73.  31 
71    II 

75  89 


137 

The  unnamed  plots  also  contained  a  great  many  interesting  varia- 
tions, selections  from  which  are  given  in  the  following  table  : 

\nahjses  of  variations  in  the  unnamed  plots. 


Xo  of 
plot. 


12 


33 


37 


44 


45 


■•■{ 
-i 


Date. 


\ 

...]    Be 

(    Be 

i 

-I 


< 


46   ..< 


18 


50. 


Sept.  24 
Sept,  24 
Sept  22 
Sept,  22 
Sept  22 
Sept.  25 
Sept  25 
Sept.  25 
Sei  t.  25 
Sept.  25 
pt.  22 
pt  22 
pt.  22 
Sept,  21 
Sept.  21 
Sept.  21 
Sept.  21 
Sept  21 
Sept.  22 
Sept.  22 
Sept.  22 
St-pt.  22 
Sept.  22 
Sept.  22 
Sept.  22 
Sept.  22 
Sept.  21 
S.-pt.  21 
Sept.  21 
Sept.  21 
Sept  21 
Sept.  21 
Sept.  21 
Sept  21 
S.  pt.  21 
Sept.  21 
Sept.  25 
Sept    4 

S.  pt.  4 
S.  ].t.     4 

Sept  4 
Sept  21 
Sept  21 
Sept.  24 
Sept  •-'! 
Bept  '-'4 
Sept  24 
Bept  :t 
Sept  21 
Bept.  24 
S<  pt.  24 
Sept.  24 


Xo  of 

analysis. 


421 
428 
410 
417 
418 
505 
50(3 
:  - 
509 
511 
390 
398 
4<»1 
380 
385 
385 
387 
3.^9 
40- 
400 
407 
408 
409 
410 
411 
413 
357 

::t;i 
364 
365 


Degree 
Brix. 


id 

57  I 


371 
372 
373 
374 
377 
514 
290 
292 
291 
295 
351 
350 
430 
432 
4:,8 

410 
444 

4i-; 

417 

419 


Sucrose. 


15.12 
1*.  07 
10.  58 
15.28 
16.08 
18.70 
18.48 
16.28 
19.  48 
19.  22 

19.  0  i 
18.  L'O 
18.10 
17.75 
18.42 

17.  15 

18.  39 
10.22 
17.70 
19.00 
17.24 
17.04 
17.74 

20.  74 
16.74 
16.  -8 

16.  90 
20.00 
19.02 
20.19 
20.  75 
18.28 

19.  15 
19.92 
19.35 
20.78 
18.31 
18.44 
17.44 
17.74 

17.  52 
17.00 
10.40 
17.  72 
1G.  08 
17.  0- 
16.48 
18.28 
L8.  18 

17.48 
17.01 


Per  cent. 

9.18 
13.84 
10.  59 
10.00 
11.00 
12.48 
12.02 

9.48 
13. 17 
12.50 
14.20 
12.94 
12.  09 
11.09 

12.  52 

10.  00 
13.01 

13.  13 

12.  38 
13.92 
12.07 
12.29 
12  14 

14.  8fl 
11.85 
11.48 
13.00 

14.  8  5 
13.47 
14.79 

15.  14 
12.03 
13.74 
I4.fi7 

13.  08 

14.  27 
12.30 
13.25 
11.99 
12.71 
12.  04 

11.  53 
12. 22 

12.  "JO 
11.71 
12.  78 
11.77 
13.24 
13.57 
11.86 
12.04 
13.50 


Glucose. 


Coefficient 
of  parity. 


Per  cent. 


BO 


2.01 


.70 
1.54 

.70 

.77 

"'59 

.04 

1.07 

2.  09 
2.30 
1.01 


60.71 
74.13 
63.  87 
65.  45 
68.41 
60.  74 
05.  04 
58.23 

67.  61 
05.  35 

72.  70 
71.10 
70.11 
02.  48 
07.  97 
58.  31 
70.74 
80.95 
09.  94 

71.  02 
70.01 
09.  67 

68.  43 
71.05 
70.  79 

70  52 
70.  92 

71  99 

73.  25 

72.  90 
09.09 
71.75 

73.  04 

70.70 

67.50 

7  1 .  85 
68.75 
71.65 

05.  51 
74.51 

7o.20 

71.42 

73.43 

71.77 


IV.  Experiments  in  the  Selection  <>f  Seed  from  Individual 
Canes  Showing  a  High  Contend  of  Sugar. 

VARIABILITY    OF   SORGHUM    CANES  IN  THEIR  CONTENT  OF  SUGAR, 


As  might  be  expected  of  n  plant  which  varies  so  much  in  the  out 
ward  character  of  its  individuals,  sorghum  canes  vary  greatly  in  tin1 
chemical  composition  of  their  contained  juices.  Even  in  canes  of  the 
samt'  varieties,  Bhowing  uniform  outward  characters  and  of  uniform 
appearance  and  development,  great  differences  will  be  found  in  the 
composition  of  the  juice  from  individual  caues.     In  tact  the  variation 


138 

in  this  respect  seems  much  greater  and  more  persistent  than  in  the  out- 
ward appearances  of  the  plant.  When  the  variety  itself  is  not  uniform, 
and  the  variations  due  to  mixed  races  are  added  to  the  variations  of 
individuals,  the  most  remarkable  extremes  are  produced.  This  can  bo 
seen  by  examining  the  analyses  of  individual  canes  of  crosses  given  in 
tbe  section  on  experiments  with  crosses,  from  which  the  following  table 
is  selected,  to  illustrate  the  possible  differences  between  different  canes 
growing  in  the  same  plot.  The  canes  were  selected  from  a  plot  of 
Honduras,  which  showed  fairly  uniform  character,  in  the  endeavor  to 
obtain  early  ripened  seed  of  that  variety,  and  probably  some  were  not 
so  well  matured  as  others,  though  the  seed  from  all  was  perfectly  hard. 

Polarization  of  selected  canes  from  Honduras. 


Xo. 

Degree 

Brix. 

Sucrose. 

No. 

Degree 
Brix. 

1 

0.93 
14.43 

13.53 
13.47 
10.47 

14.40 
11.85 
10.04 
11.65 

Percent 

.  20 
9.07 
8.46 
8.16 
4.31 
7.40 
5.78 
1.51 
5.24 

.10 

11 

14.18 

15. 88 
15.34 

/'-  /■  ct  nt 

11.41 

10.1)2 
9.  33 

2 

12 

3 

13 

4 

5 

14 

15 

15.34          7.51 

15.54            6.50 
16.67         11.53 

6 

16 

7 

17 

g 

Highest 

Lo\\t-t 

9 

11.53 

10 

.10 

The  following  table  shows  the  variation  of  individuals  in  a  well- 
established  and  uniform  variety.  They  were  selected  with  this  end  in 
view  from  a  remarkably  uniform  plot  of  Early  Amber,  and  a  particular 
effort  was  made  to  have  the  canes  as  nearly  of  the  same  size  and  gen- 
eral appearance,  the  same  maturity,  and  the  same  conditions  of  growth — 
all  taken  from  the  same  row. 

Polorization  of  average  canes  from  Early  Amber. 


\n. 

Degree 

1  >  1  1  V  . 

Slides. ■. 

No. 

Brix. 

17.  11 
14.94 

17.74 
1  7.  53 

17.32 

L7.82 

Saorose. 

1                

15.50 
15.70 
14.50 
18.00 
16.74 
It   71 
15.44 
I.-   il 
17 .2  1 

/'.  /■  r.  ii  f. 

10.80 
12.02 
7.54 
L2.78 
10.80 

11. ill 

10 

/'.  r  '•-  ut. 
11.99 

12.71 
12  hi 
10.58 
10.88 

') 

n 

l  ■_' 

3      . 

4 

13    

U    

1 . ,      

5 

0 

7 

Hiulnst 

8 

13.  25 

y 

While  tbe  difference  is  not  so  grc.it  as  in  the  previoas  table,  it  will  be 

seen  thai  then-  is  a  difference  Of  nearly  o'  per  cent,  of  sucrose  between 

the  richest  and  poorest  canes  in  fifteen  samples. 

Even  in  the  highly  improved  and  well  established  varieties  of  sugar- 
beets  this  variation  in  the  composition  of  individuals  occurs,  as  will  be 


139 


seen  in  the  following  table  taken  from  Stammer,*  which  shows  analysis 
of  individual  beets  taken  from  the  same  row. 

rolarization  of  German  sugar-beets. 


No. 

Weight 
of  beet 
iu  grains. 

Degree 
Brix. 

Sucrose. 

Apparent 

purity. 

1  ... 

2   

3  

.  4 

350 
7G0 
640 
635 

18.1 
15.7 
16  0 
15.  3 

Per  rent. 

14.9               82.3 
12.9              82.4 

12.8  '            71).  7 
T'.h              8:s.  7 

5           

15.3              V>.  4                 81.1 

G  

650             16. 4  ;           13.9               78.8 
690             15,  8             13. 8  •            87.2 
29')              16.5  ,           13. 1  1             79.5 
532             19.0              17.  1                9').  0 
660             16.2             13.5  ,            83.0 

8  

9 

10 

Hi«h  «< 

17.1 
12.4 

From  this  it  appears  that  the.se  individual  beets  showed  nearly  as 
great  variations  as  the  Amber  canes,  though  from  the  differences  in 
the  weights  of  the  beets  it  is  evident  that  they  were  selected  at  ran- 
dom, with  no  special  effort  to  obtain  average  samples,  as  was  the  case 
with  the  canes. 

DIFFICULTIES   IN   THE   SELECTION   OF   SEED  ACCORDING   TO   CONTENT 
OF   SUGAR   IN   THE   CANE. 

It  is  much  more  difficult  to  seleet  the  best  individuals  of  a  sugar-pro- 
luciug  plant  than  of  plants  raised  for  other  purposes,  in  which  the 
relative  merit  of  the  individuals  can  be  seen  by  outward  appearances. 

There  are  no  known  reliable  outward  signs  which  indicate  that  a  cer- 
tain cane  contains  more  sugar  than  the  others.  In  a  garden  one  can 
select  the  finest  vegetables,  in  the  orchard  the  finest  fruits,  in  the  grain 
fields  the  finest  ears  of  corn  or  of  wheat,  by  the  eye  or  by  weight,  or 
by  very  simple  tests.  Bu1  sugar  is  inside  the  canes,  mingled  with  other 
substances.  The  weight  of  the  canes  or  their  appearance  is  not  a  reli- 
able measure  of  the  sugar  which  they  contain.  Handsome  canes  may 
contain  but  little  sugar;  canes  inferior  in  appearance  may  yield  sugar 
well.  The  sense  of  taste  is  not  a  reliable  test,  tor  the  sugar  in  the  juice 
is  masked  by  other  substances.  A  sugarcane  which  shows  by  analysis 
12  percent,  of  sugar  tastes  much  sweeter  than  a  sorghum  cane  which 
shows  1.")  per  ct-iit. 

The  sor-huin  plant  will  be.  improved  but  slowly  if  selections  of  seed 
are  made  only  by  the  size  or  weight  or  appearance  of  the  canes,  or  by 
simple  selections  of  the  finest  appearing  seeds. 

In  2,000  analyses  and  polari/.at  ions  of  cane  juice  made  at  this  station 
there  were  no  reliable  and  constant  outward  marks  observed  by  which 
the  canes  which  contained   most  sugar  could  be   selected.     The  degree 

"Lehrbuch  dei  Zacker-fabrikation,  von  Dr,   K.  Stammer  Braunaohweig,  1887,  p. 

150. 


140 

of  maturity  was  the  only  sign,  and  selections  of  the  richest  caues  can 
not  be  made  by  that. 

When  tlie  sugar- beet  growers  attempted  to  improve  the  sugar  beet 
they  met  with  the  same  difficulty.  They  were  well  aware  that  the  heredi- 
tary principles  which  are  known  to  apply  to  animals  also  apply  to 
plants.  They  knew  that  the  individual  beets  which  actually  contained 
more  sugar  than  the  others  should  be  saved  for  planting.  But  the  char- 
acteristic points  of  beets  which  are  rich  in  sugar  vary,  so  that  they  are 
not  reliable  guides  in  selecting  beets  for  seed.  Kuauer  invented  a  ma- 
chine which  separated  beets  in  piles  according  to  their  weight,  in  order 
to  select  the  heaviest,  not  the  largest,  beets  for  seed.  And  beets  were 
placed  in  a  solution  of  salt-water  of  a  certain  density;  the  beets  which 
sank  were  saved  for  seed.  These  methods  were  only  adapted  to  rough 
selections.  To  Vilmorin  is  due  the  credit  of  introducing  the  methods 
by  which  the  sugar-beet  has  been  so  wonderfully  improved.  He  ob- 
served that  a  cylindrical  piece  could  be  taken  from  each  beet  without 
injury  to  the  plant.  These  sample  pieces  were  separately  tested  to  de- 
termine their  value  in  sugar  manufacture,  and  only  the  beets  which 
were  proved  to  contain  more  sugar  than  the  others  were  saved  for  seed. 
To  show  the  zeal  with  which  the  work  of  improving  the  sugar-beet 
was  done,  it  is  only  necessary  to  say  that  at  the  Faris  Exposition  of 
1878  there  were  twenty  exhibitors  who  claimed  to  have  produced  im- 
proved varieties  of  the  beet.  Deprez  et  Fils  of  Frauce  had  an  agri- 
cultural laboratory  with  facilities  for  making  2,000  analyses  of  beets 
daily.  With  the  assistance  of  Professor  Viollette  they  produced  three 
important  new  varieties  of  the  sugar-beet,  which  are  known  as  '•  1  in- 
proved  Deprez,"  1,  2,  and  3. 

It  is  evident  that  the  sorghum  industry  should  profit  by  this  experi- 
ence of  the  beet  industry,  and  that  sorghum  seed  should  be  saved  only 
from  individual  canes  which  yield  well  in  sugar. 

ADVANTAGES     POSSESSED     BY    SORGHUM     OVER    ol'HER    SUGAR  PRO- 
DUCING   PLANTS   IN   TIM:  SELECTION   OF  BBBD. 

Sorghum  has  advantages  over  both  the  sugarcane  and  the  sugar- 
beet  in  selecting  sr<'<\  from  the  best  individuals,  and  it  can  reasonably 
be  expected  that  its  improvement  could  be  made  much  more  rapidly 

than  has  been  the  case  with  the  former.  In  the  first  place  thesu-ar- 
beet  is  a  biennial  plant,  requiring  two  years  to  produce  its  seed;  sor- 
ghum is  an  annual,  requiring  but  one  \ear  to  mature  its  seed,  so  that  its 

progress  should  be  twice  as  rapid;  then  t  he  sor- hum  is  unique  among 

BUgar-producing  plants  in  that  its  seed  may  be  separated  entirely  from 
the  cane  and  the  latter  analyzed,  giving  exactly  the  worth  of  the  indi- 
vidual which  produced  the  seed,  without  injury  to  the  seed  itself.  This 
is  a  vast  improvement  over  the  tedious  method  that  must  be  pursued 
witli  the  beet,  of  cutting  out  a  portion  of  the  root  for  the  purpose  of 
analysis.  Such  a  cylinder  can  noi  represent  the  quality  of  the  whole 
root   with  entire  accuracy,  and  there  is  ground  for  supposing  that  it 


141 

somewhat  impairs  it  for  the  production  of  seed  the  next  year,  although 
the  originators  and  those  practicing  the  method  claim  it  does  not.  Cer- 
tainly the  analysis  of  the  entire  portion  of  the  plant  which  is  used  for 
sugar-making  purposes,  as  is  possible  in  sorghum,  is  greatly  superior. 
The  sugarcane  is  at  a  tremendous  disadvantage  in  this  respect,  and 
this  is  undoubtedly  one  reason  why  it  has  fallen  behind  the  beet  in  the 
struggle  for  supremacy  as  a  sugar-producing  plant.  Being  propagated 
by  eyes,  or  suckers,  there  is  no  way  of  obtaining  an  analysis  of  the  cane 
without  injuring  it  for  seed  purposes.*  The  result  has  been  that  the 
plant  has  deteriorated  rather  than  improved,  while  the  sugar-beet  has 
steadily  advanced  in  quality. 

Surely  it  would  be  criminal  folly  on  our  part  if  we  failed  to  avail  our- 
selves in  the  sorghum  industry  of  the  advantages  naturally  possessed 
by  the  plant,  and  of  the  lessons  taught  us  by  the  experience  of  others 
with  the  beet  and  the  cane. 

METHOD     OF     AVORK     EMPLOYED     AT     THE     STERLING     EXPERIMENT 

STATION. 

Owing  to  the  pressure  of  work  at  this  station  the  past  campaign,  and 
the  attention  given  the  crosses,  the  selection  of  seed  from  the  best  in- 
dividual canes  of  the  established  varieties  was  not  instituted  until  late 
in  the  season,  and  could  not  be  carried  out  on  the  earlier  varieties.  The 
selection  should  properly  be  made,  of  course,  at  the  maximum  of  ma- 
turity of  the  cane.  The  plan  of  work  was  as  follows:  A  large  number 
of  canes  were  selected  from  the  plot,  care  being  taken  that  those  selected 
should  show  no  outward  faults  of  form,  and  should  be  average  canes  in 
size,  of  good  healthy  appearance.  A  large  number  of  such  canes  were 
brought  in  to  the  station  barn  and  laid  out  in  serial  order,  the  heads 
cut  off,  a  label  with  number  attached  to  each,  and  a  corresponding  num- 
ber placed  on  a  receptacle  to  contain  the  juice.  Two  men  were  kept 
busy  turning  the  hand-mill,  while  a  third  kept  the  juices  in  proper 
order.  As  soon  as  the  juices  were  obtained  they  were  poured  into  hy- 
drometer jars,  and  when  they  had  stood  long  enough  to  permit  of  the 
escape  of  the  air  bubbles,  their  density  was  taken  roughly  with  a 
spindle.  If  the  reading  did  not  come  up  to  a  certain  standard  the  juices 
and  corresponding  seed-heads  were  rejected.  The  standard  used  de- 
pended upon  the  richness  of  the  variety  of  cane  from  which  the  selec- 
tions were  made,  being  placed  ;it  20°  or  even  21°  Brix  for  very  rich 

*  Professor  Stubbs  has  proposed  bo  spU1  the  cane,  usiug  one-half  for  analysis,  and 
the  other  for  planting,  <  >f  conrse  there  would  be  considerable  difficulty  in  preserving 
the  .split  cane,  runi  there  is  do  record  of  its  ever  having  been  attempted.  It  would 
seem  more  feasible  to  cut  a  .short  .section,  containing  one  eye,  from  a  stalk  tor  plant- 
ing, and  make  the  analysis  on  the  remaining  portion  of  the  stalk. 

The  success  of  Professor  Harrison  in  tin-  Barbadoes  in  producing  sugar-canes  from 
seed  (Royal  Gardens,  Kew,  Bulletin  of  Miscellaneous  Information,  l — .  No.  24,  p. 
294),  would  seem  to  give  hopes  for  the  improvement  of  the  plant  in  the  waj  of  new 

Varieties,  and  the  present   method  of  propagating  the  plant   from  any  kind  of  individ- 
uals that   may  he  mOSJ   convenient  should  receive  equal  attention:    it  is  >im]>!\   l>ar- 

barous, 


142 

varieties  like  the  Links  Hybrid.  The  few  juices  which  passed  the  test 
were  seut  to  the  laboratory  for  complete  analysis,  and  the  correspond- 
ing seed-heads  carefully  preserved.  From  the  complete  analyses,  still 
further  selections  were  made,  so  that  ultimately  a  few  seed-heads  were 
saved  of  canes  showing  great  richness  and  purity  of  juice.  From  500 
to  1,000  canes  could  be  tested  in  this  way  in  a  day.  Some  of  the  canes 
obtained  by  this  method  of  selection  were  very  rich  in  sugar.  The  fol- 
lowing instances  serve  to  show  this. 

A  plot  of  Links  Hybrid,  of  which  the  highest  analysis  from  average 
samples  had  been  14.09  per  cent,  sucrose,  gave  on  selection  from  about 
500  canes  four  which  went  over  15  per  cent. 

Another  plot  of  the  same  variety,  showing  by  analysis  of  an  average 
sample  12. 21  per  cent,  sucrose,  gave  by  selection  from  500  canes  three 
which  had  over  1G  per  cent,  sucrose  in  the  juice. 

An  average  sample  of  a  plot  of  Liberian  cane  gave  11  per  cent;  500 
canes  were  taken  from  different  parts  of  the  plot  and  one  cane  gave  17.59 
per  cent,  sucrose  in  the  juice ;  three  gave  over  1G.5  per  cent.,  and  twelve 
over  15.5  per  cent. 

An  average  sample  of  the  Planters'  Friend,  a  new  variety  from  Aus- 
tralia, gave  11.63  percent,  sucrose;  selections  from  1,000  canes  gave  three 
which  contained  over  15  per  cent,  sucrose  in  the  juice.  Such  instances 
might  be  multiplied, but- sufficient  evidence  has  been  given  to  show  the 
possibilities  in  this  method  of  improvement.  The  selections  have  all 
been  preserved,  and  can  be  planted  and  observed  another  year,  if  means 
are  afforded  the  Department  for  carrying  out  the  work. 


Analyses  of  selected  single  cants  from  standard  varieties. 
LIBERIAN. 


No. 

of 
plot. 


222 


Date. 


o.  t.  :: 
Oct  :{ 
Oct.   3 

Oct.17 
Oct.  17 
Oct  17 
Oct  17 

Oct  17 
Oct  17 
Oct  17 
Oct.  17 
on.  17 
Oct  17 
Oct  17 
(i,  I  17 
Oct  17 
Oct  17 
Oct.  17 
Oct  17 
Oct  17 
Oct  17 

on.  17 

Oct    17 

Oct.  i»; 

Oct.  17 

Oct  17 
Oct  17 


Xo.  Of 

analysis. 

Brix. 

812 

18  in 

hi:. 

19.32 

19.30 

CD  t 

21.18 

i:.  ir. 

20.  7:: 

1948 

20.  83 

1960 

•_-_'.  «.il 

1  95  1 

21.71 

p.'  •:- 

'21.  28 

1956 

20.80 

L98Q 

21.32 

1961 

21.62 

L962 

21.71 

1967 

21.91 

v..  !i 

21.81 

1983 

1980 

1993 

21  92 

2000 

2002 

1900 

1907 

Sucrose. 


Glucose. 


Per  •■•  at 
12.96 

13.47 
13.80 
14.22 

15.  .1 

15.  -in 
in.  12 

16.  20 
17.69 

16.  12 

15.00 
16  19 
15.70 
16.75 

1  i  62 
11.7.-. 
I.-,  66 

14.18 

L8.99 


.' 


i.:u 


i  9 ; 


1.84 


Co-effl- 

cien 

of 

purity. 

7(1 

21 

72. 

:;'.i 

71. 

27 

71. 

86 

18 

74. 

86 

71. 

87 

n. 

29 

SI. 

l> 

7;s.  56 

:».. 

1 

:t7 

7:t 

77.  62 

M 

71 

M 

i,-   H 

71 

:t4 

71 

91 

7" 

28 

71 

09 

143 


Analyses  of  selected  single  canes  from  standard  varieties — Continue! . 
LIXKS  HYBRID. 


No. 

of 
plot. 

Date. 

Xo.  of 

analysis. 

SEN"— 

Gluco.se. 

Coeffi- 
cient of 
purity. 

Oct  18 

Oct.  18 
Oct.  18 
Oct.  18 
Oct.  18 
Oct.  18 
Oct.  is 

Oct.  ]8 
Oct  18 

Oct.  18 

2007 

2uu9 
2010 

/'.  rcent. 
20.77           15.30 
21.58            15. 34 
•'1.(8            15.57 

Per  cent. 

73.  00 
71.08 
73.86 
71.  94 

74.  95 
74.  05 
74.87 
75.38 
73.(0 
72.19 
70.61 

2015           21.10           15.18 
21.28            15.95 

2021  21.58          10.11 

2022  21.17            15.85 
2029           21.12           15.92 
2i '30            21.70            15.84 
2038           21..'0           15.52 
2018           21.55 

.69 
.92 

1.09 

EARLY  ORANGE. 
[Selections  taken  from  large  cane-field.] 


Oct.  18 
Oct  18 

Oct.  20 

2040 
2041 

22.18 
21.  40 

17.05 

1  5.  20 

.07 

76.87 
71.11 
08.  03 

2102 

EARLY  ORANGE. 

74 

Oct. 17 
Oct.  17 

1910 
1911 

20.70            15.01 
20.50            13.58 

72  51 
00.21 

PLANTERS'  FRIEND. 

214 

Oct  ie 

Oct  16 
Oct  16 
Oct.  16 

Oct.  10 
Oct.  10 
Oct.16 
Oct  16 
Oct  16 
oct.it; 
Oct  16 

1.-20            21.70            14.71 

1831          22.00          15.55 

14.  10 

1812            20.10            14.94 

07.  79 
70.  68 

67.  33 

74.81 
71.55 

71  26 

70.76 

1844            20.00            14.00 

14.53 

20.  20            14. 18 

1857           20.60           15.41 

28           14  51 

"l.'eo 

1877            20.00            14.08 
1880          21.00          14.86 

cm:. 

215 

Oct.  18 

19.  Ok 

14.71             1.23 

74.75 

The  following  table  gives  the  highest  analysis  obtained  in  each  of 

five  varieties  by  selection  : 

Highest  analysis  of  sing  \  from  standard  varieties. 


Yai  icty. 

analysis. 

Oct.  17 
Oct  18 

Oct  13 

21.71 
22.  18 
21.70 

Early  <  iran^e  

I. inks  Hybi  i'l     

Plant  era'  Fi  l<  od.  . 

Sim  1  use 


17.08 

15.92 

11  7: 


1 

Glucose 

cicnt  of 

- 

1.1)7 

144 

Y.  Experiments  in  Improvement  by  Methods  of  Cultivation. 

It  is  a  rule  in  agricultural  science  that  to  obtain  the  best  results  the 
individual  plants  must  be  given  the  most  favorable  conditions  possible 
for  full  development. 

In  the  effort  to  improve  the  sorghum  plant  methods  of  cultivation 
will  play  an  important  part.  Very  little  attention  has  beeu  paid  here- 
tofore to  this  subject,  the  cheapest  and  easiest  methods  being  followed  ; 
and  the  sorghum  crop  has  had  about  the  same  cultivation  as  is  given 
to  the  corn  crop.  In  the  work  at  this  station  no  very  extensive  experi- 
ments could  be  made  on  different  methods  of  cultivation,  but  a  number 
of  practical  points  were  evolved,  which  may  be  stated  as  our  views  on 
the  best  methods  to  be  followed,  without  going  into  details  as  to  the 
evidence  upon  which  the  conclusions  were  based. 

It  is  desirable  in  growing  cane  for  sugar  manufacture,  that  as  nearly 
as  possible  all  of  the  plants  in  one  field  should  ripen  at  one  time.  If 
in  one  row  there  are  some  canes  fully  ripe  and  other  canes  immature,  it 
will  not  be  easy  to  harvest  the  canes  at  the  time  when  each  contains  its 
maximum  of  sugar.  It  is  a  point  of  advantage  to  have  all  come  up  at 
the  same  time.  This  can  best  be  accomplished  by  planting  the  cane  on 
freshly  plowed  land  the  same  day  the  land  is  plowed,  and  by  being 
careful  to  cover  the  cane  seed  at  a  uniform  depth  with  earth.  This  in- 
sures as  uniform  a  start  as  possible  for  the  canes,  and  while  it  may 
seem  a  trifling  matter  it  often  materially  affects  the  results. 

After  the  young  plants  have  come  up  a  serious  problem  arises,  and 
that  is,  how  to  cultivate  the  plants,  to  pulverize  and  loosen  the  soil, 
and  to  destroy  the  weeds  without  injuring  the  roots  on  which  the  de- 
velopment of  the  plants  depends. 

Great  injury  is  done  to  the  roots  of  canes  when  the  cultivator  works 
deep  and  close  to  the  plants  alter  they  have  attained  considerable  size. 
This  injury  is  perhaps  greater  than  most  persons  suppose.  It  appears 
to  be  proved  by  a  very  simple  experiment.  If  the  roots  of  a  hill  of 
Cane  are  (lit  all  around  the  hill  with  a  spade  at  a  distance  of  (>  inches 
from  the  canes  to  a  depth  of  o'  inches  tVoni  the  surface,  when  the  plants 
are  4  inches  high,  and  if  this  process  is  repeated  once  a  week  until  the 
canes  are  1  feet  high,  the  canes  thus  treated  will  be  found  to  ripen  later 
and  to  be  inferior  in  all  respects.      In   wet  seasons  the   injury  is  not  so 

great  as  in  dry,  but  injuries  are  caused  to  growing  plants  by  the  culti- 
vator as  with  the  spade. 

To  avoid  destroying  and  mutilating  the  roots  of  the  growing  canes, 
it  seems  better  to  give  deep  and  close  cultivation  while  the  plants  and 
their  loots  are  small,  and  when  the  first  cultivation  is  given  to  use  long 
and  narrow    shovels,  which    work  near  the  canes,  and  with  a  slow  and 

steady  team  give  close  and  deep  and  thorough  cultivation  before  the 

rootlets  are  expanded  sufficiently  to  be  injured  by   such  cultivation. 

In  (he  succeeding  cultivations  "shallow  shovels, w  that' is,  shovels 
having  such  form  that  the\  do  their  work  at  or  Dear  the  surface  of  the 


145 

soil,  should  work  near  the  plants,  while  deeper  cultivation  may  be  had 
at  a  distance  from  the  plant  which  the  roots  have  not  reached. 

The  form  of  shovel  preferred  in  the  experiments  at  this  station  is 
known  as  the  "  Eagle's  Claw."  It  consists  of  eight  small  shovels,  which 
are  attached  to  the  beams  of  a  two-horse  cultivator,  four  shovels  work- 
ing on  each  side  of  the  row  of  cane.  The  form  of  these  shovels  is  such 
that  they  do  not  enter  the  soil  deeply ;  they  thoroughly  pulverize  all  the 
surface  soil  and  destroy  weeds,  and  work  close  to  the  growing  plants 
with  little  injury  to  the  roots. 

We  have  alluded  to  these  points  because  we  believe  the  yield  of  sugar 
is  often  materially  lessened  by  injuring  the  roots  of  the  canes.  Mutila- 
tion of  the  cane  plants  above  the  surface  of  the  soil  is  known  to  pro- 
duce a  lessened  yield  of  sugar,  and  injuries  to  the  cane  plants  below 
the  surface  doubtless  decrease  it  also.  Many  cane-growers,  as  they  "  lay 
by"  their  cane  crop,  or  finish  the  cultivation  and  see  its  deeply  and 
closely  cultivated  canes  free  from  weeds,  do  not  realize  that  while  de- 
stroying weeds  they  nearly  destroyed  their  cane  plants,  and  while 
working  for  their  caues  they  were  working  against  them  and  against 
the  yield  of  sugar. 

DISTANCE   APART   AT   WHICH    CANES   SHOULD   STAND   IN  THE   ROW. 

This  is  a  subject  which  has  attracted  considerable  interest  among 
sorghum-growers  lately.  Mr.  Hughes  obtained  last  year  the  highest 
yield  of  sugar  per  acre  ever  reported  for  sorghum.  According  to  his 
statement,  "this  was  occasioned  by  carefully  planting  the  hills  closer 
and  giving  it  good  attention,  together  with  favorable  rains. "*  As  a 
contribution  to  the  solution  of  this  important  question,  the  following 
analyses  may  be  recorded. 

Two  experiments  were  made  with  different  plots  of  cane,  both  of 
which  had  been  planted  with  drill.  The  planting  had  been  rather 
uneven,  and  some  rows  were  much  thicker  than  others.  A  thick  and  a 
thin  row  in  each  plot  were  chosen,  the  canes  counted  and  cut  for  a  con- 
siderable distance,  which  was  measured,  and  the  whole  run  through  the 
mill.  The  number  of  cam's  divided  into  the  length  of  row  cut  gave 
the  average  distance  apart  Of  the  canes  in  the  row,  and  from  the  weight 
of  the  whole  sample  the  yield  per  acre  was  calculated.  The  following 
table  gives  the  results  of  the  analyses: 


Field, 

lost 

17.  >•_' 

Soorose.  Glaoose. 

1  til  - 
oieint 
purity. 

Experiment  No.  1.  Early  Ajnber  i 
i  ir  u  i mlt  1  Inches  aparl  in  the  ro* 
Growing  7$  inches  aparl  in  tun  row.. 

12.50          2.91 
14.01 

11.78 

l:i.  I.; 

Ezperimeni  No.  21,  Earljt  Oraujiecane: 
Grow  in  :  ...  f  Inouea  apai  i  iu  i 
Grovi  lng  a  8  Inches  aparl  in  the  row 

7.  1 

■  Bull.  X...  17.  (Mm. ii.  Dii  .  i     8,  D<  pt.  Agriculture,  | 
W056— Bull,  20 10 


146 

These  analyses  show  very  decided  differences  between  the  two  samples. 
The  conditions  were  in  all  respects  similar,  except  as  to  the  distance 
apart  of  the  canes  in  the  row,  and  the  large  samples  taken  diminished 
the  possible  error  of  sampling,  so  that  considerable  reliance  may  be 
plaeed  upon  the  results.  Jt  will  be  seen  that  in  both  experiments  the 
canes  which  were  thin  in  the  row  were  much  better  in  quality  than  those 
which  stood  closely  together;  the  content  of  sucrose  is  higher,  of  glu- 
cose lower,  and  the  purity  is  greater.  It  is  evident  that  close  planting, 
while  it  increases  the  tonnage,  diminishes  the  yield  of  sugar  per  ton. 
Of  course  there  is  a  proper  mean  between  too  close  planting  on  the 
one  Land  and  too  thin  planting  on  the  other,  and  this  subject  is  worthy 
of  more  attention  and  discussion  than  has  previously  been  given  it. 

It  is  probable  that  the  distances  at  which  canes  should  be  planted 
vary  to  some  extent  with  the  varieties.  For  instance,  it  would  seem 
that  the  small  canes  of  the  Early  Amber  do  not  require  so  much  space 
as  the  much  larger  canes  of  the  Honduras,  and  it  also  seems  that  soils 
and  climate  may  require  the  distances  between  the  canes  to  vary.  Tor 
instance,  it  is  well  known  that  corn  is  planted  much  closer  in  the  Xorth 
than  in  the  South. 

VI.  .Miscellaneous  Experiments  and  Kksults  of  Observations. 

EFFECTS   OF  FROST. 

The  effect  of  a  light  frost  upon  sorghum  cane  has  always  been  a 
mooted  question,  some  holding  that  it  is  not  injured  by  a  frost  which 
only  kills  the  leaves,  but  rather  has  the  effect  of  ripening  the  cane.  It 
seems  reasonable  to  suppose  that  it  does  a  fleet  it  unfavorably,  how- 
ever, as  it  kills  the  leaf  and  stops  further  growth  and  vitality  in  the 
plant.  The  question  is  an  important  one.  lor  it  is  quite  common  to 
have  a  slight  frost  quite  early  in  the  season.  A  few  observations 
were  made  on  this  point  at  this  station  the  past  season.  The  first 
frost  occurred   on  the   night  ol   September  27.     On  October  5,  about   a 

week  afterwards,  when  the  effects  of  the  frost  were  plainly  perceptible, 
the  different  plots  were  examined  to  see  if  any  observations  of  impor- 
tance could  be  made.  The  more  immature  variel  les  seemed  to  have 
resisted  the  action  of  the  fros!  better  than  those  which  were  more  ma- 
tured; the  Honduras,  for  instance,  holding  the  bright  green  of  its  leaves, 
almost  without  exception.  Some  varieties  appeared  to  have  resisted 
the  action  of  the  cold  much  better  than  others,  giving  some  ground  for 

the  hypothesis  that  this  might  prove  a  constant  characteristic,  other 
plots,  again,  showed  some  spots  that  were  almost  entirely  untouched 

by  the  frOSt,  while  in  other  spots  the  leaves  were  quite  dead,  the  differ- 
ences being  doubtless  due  to  different  conditions  of  evaporation  from 
the  soil.     These  plots  Seemed  to  offer  an   opportunity  for  comparative 

analyses  of  frosted  and  nnfrosted  canes.  Large  samples  were  taken  of 
both  kinds,  taking  all  the  care  possible  i«»  have  them  comparable  in  all 


147 


respects,  except  as  to  the  frosted  and  un frosted  condition.     The  results 
are  given  in  the  following  table: 

Analyses  of  frosted  and  uvfrosted  canes  of  the  same  plot. 


Not  frosted. 

Frosted. 

Variety. 

No.  i  t 
analj  sis. 

Brix. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

No.  of 

analysis. 

Degree 

l.rix. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

4fi8 

498 

471 

481 

471 
477 

......... 

16.  32 

15.87 

18.80 

19.  JO 
16.33 
18.  10 

Per  et  nt.    Per  cent. 

11.71               .91 

11.10               .1.2 
13.52             1.67 

13.50             1.42 
11.90           1:20 

12.74             1.47 

469 

499 
479 

482 

■1 75 
478 

10.72 

15.i»7 
18.  20 

16.15 
15.01 

15.  70 

Per  rent. 
10.  75 

Per  cent. 
1.50 

Wanbansee  (an- 
oIIkm  plot)   

Red  Liborian 

Bed   l.iberian  (an 
other  plot) 

Plot  No.  (37 

9.  96               1.  50 
12.75              1.38 

f0.26              2.93 
10.30               1.39 
10.96               1.71 

Average 

Coefficient  of  inn  it  \ 

17.41 


12.42             1.27 
71.2 

16.14            10.83               1-73 

67.1 



1 

It  will  be  seen  that  in  every  case  the  juice  from  the  frosted  canes  was 
quite  inferior.  The  average  of  the  six  different  plots  shows  the  juice 
from  the  frosted  cane  was  lower  in  solids,  lower  in  sucrose,  higher  in 
glucose,  and  of  less  purity  than  the  juice  from  the  canes  which  had  been 
but  little  touched  by  the  frost,  as  shown  by  the  leaves  being  fresh. 

While  not  sufficient  in  number  to  establish  the  point,  these  analyses 
seem  to  show  that  sorghum  cane  deteriorates  after  the  leaves  are  killed 
by  frost. 

ANALYSES  OF  SAMPLES  FROM  AB KANSAS. 

The  capabilities  of  Arkansas  as  a  sorghum  growing  State  have  never 
been  very  extensively  investigated.  The  Sterling  Sirup  Works  received 
this  fall  a  bundle  of  cane  from  one  of  the  "prairie  counties "  of  Arkan- 
sas, and  the  different  samples  were  analyzed  at  the  station,  with  the 
following  results: 

Analyses  of  canes  from  Arkansas. 


V;u  ietj . 


Honduras 
t   liintsi-  .  . 


No.of 
analysis. 

Degree 
Brix. 

Sucrose. 

( ilacosi . 

Coeffi- 
cient 

• 

purity. 

/ 

68  I 

540 

20.  23 

L8 

M7 

11.H5 

5  2) 

61 

19.25 

14.24 

2.  23 

71 

As  a  general  rule  samples  of  sorghum  sent  from  one  point  to  auother 
by  express  are  so  much  inverted  when  they  arrive  at  their  destination 
that  the  analyses  are  worthless;  and  then  when  samples  of  a  few  canes 

are  selected  by  persons  not  familiar  with  the  plant,  the  Largest  and 
finest-looking  canes  arc  chosen,  which  generally  give  a  lower  per  cent, 
of  sugar  than  average- sized  canes.  Iii  view  of  these  facts,  the  above 
analyses  make  a  remarkably  line  showing  for  the  locality  which  pro- 
duced t  he  c;mes.    The  samples  all  consisted  of  quite  large  fine  canes* 


148 


but  still  gave  a  good  analysis.  The  sample  of  Texas  Red  was  a  tremen- 
dously large  caue.  Thesamples  of  Honduras  and  Chinese  had  evidently 
inverted  slightly,  the  others  very  little. 

Another  lot  of  samples  received  by  the  Sirup  AVorks  from  Thomas  Les- 
lie, Stuttgart,  Ark.,  consisted  of  the  following  varieties:  Goose-neck, 
Houduras,  and  Orange.  As  the  analysis  showed  all  to  be  badly  in- 
verted, it  is  not  worth  while  to  give  the  results. 

ANALYSES  OF  SUGAR  BEETS. 

A  few  samples  of  sugar  beets  were  brought  into  the  station  for  anah  - 
sis  by  farmers  living  near  town.  They  were  grown  from  imported  seed 
which  had  been  distributed  in  western  Kansas  by  Air.  (Mans  Spreckels, 
in  the  spring  of  1888.     The  following  table  gives  the  results  : 

Analyses  of  sugar  bats. 


I'loni— 

No.  of 
analysis. 

Pomeo 
Diix. 

Sucrose 

Qlncose. 

Coeffi- 

Ash.        cienl  oi 

purity. 

M  i .  Ritnniera 

Do 

459 
164 
463 

4C:. 

13   is 
14.  :>i2 
14.22 
14.41 

0.61 
,75 

.2!) 
.30 

1.  80 

63.  4 

67.  o 

Mr  Stubba 

Mi.  Scblichter 

2.  19 
2.04 

62.  7 

07.  C 

These  analyses  seem  to  furnish  evidence  to  the  effect  that  this  part 
of  Kansas  is  better  suited  to  the  growth  of  sorghum  than  the  sugar  beet. 
None  of  the  samples  above  show  a  sufficiently  high  percentage  of  sugar 
to  make  them  available  for  profitable  sugar  manufacture,  and  the  high 
percentage  of  ash  shown  is  remarkable  ;  it  is  doubtless  due  to  the  highly 
saline  character  of  the  subsoils  in  this  locality. 

analysis  OF   FROZEN  cam:. 

On  the  night  ol  October  19,  most  of  the  cane  still  standing  in  the  field 
was  frozen.  In  continuation  of  the  work  on  development  a  sample  was 
taken  early  in  the  morning  from  the  plot  of  Link's  Hybrid,  and  when 
the  canes  were  run  through  the  mill  they  were  found  to  be  partially 
fro/en.  The  j nice  was  analyzed,  however,  and  the  analysis  Is  given 
hi  re,  togi  ther  with  the  analysis  of  the  juice  from  another  sample  from 
the  same  plot  taken  later  in  the  day,  alter  it  had  "  thawed  out." 

Analysis  of  frozen  ram-. 


ption. 


Juice  from  naiuplo  taken  while  frozen  

Juice  from  sample  lak<  n  :iit.  r  thawing  oul 


N..  of 

:ni;il\  sis 

1 »,.,_.  |,  o 

Brix. 

27.  10 

Sin  rose. 

Glucose. 

i  hill     Of 

purity. 

Pi  r  ■■■  at 

l  81 

71.7 

7::.  7 

This  analysis  is  inserted  more  as  a  matter  of  cariosity  than  anything 

else,      It  shows  Simply  that   part  el*  the  water  in  the  .juice  was  frozen,  so 


149 

that  the  juice  expressed  was  more  dense  than  ordinarily.  It  might  also 
be  used  to  illustrate  the  imperfection  of  the  present  method  of  deter- 
mining the  composition  of  a  cane  by  the  analysis  of  the  juice  expressed 
from  it  by  a  mill.  Such  analyses  are  always  subject  to  the  variations 
of  the  degree  of  extraction  by  the  mill,  the  dryness  of  the  cane,  etc.  Of 
course  the  removal  of  part  of  the  water  from  the  juice  on  account  of  the 
cane  being  frozen  would  not  often  occur,  but  a  loss  of  water  by  diving 
would  also  have  the  effect  of  increasing  the  density  of  the  juice  ex- 
tracted. It  is  to  be  hoped  that  methods  will  be  perfected  that  will  ad- 
mit of  the  proper  sampling  of  the  cane  itself,  and  the  direct  determina- 
tion of  the  sugar. 

SIZE   OF    SORGIIOI  SEED. 

The  size  and  weight  of  sorghum  seed  varies  greatly  in  different  varie- 
ties, and  in  different  individuals  of  the  same  variety.  Professor  Henry 
found  27,080  seeds  to  the  pound  of  Wisconsin  Amber.  Dr.  Collier  found 
19,000  in  Virginia  Amber.  In  a  sample  of  the  Early  Amber  seed  grown 
at  this  station  there  were  20,200  seeds  to  the  pound.  In  a  sample  of 
the  New  Orange  variety  there  were  21,700  seeds  to  the  pound.  In  a 
sample  of  Doura  (non-saccharine)  there  were  10,480  ^qq(\^  to  the  pound. 
This  variety  has  the  largest  seed  of  any  grown  here.  In  an  average 
sample  of  the  Red  Liberian  variety  there  were<51,400  seeds  to  the  pound. 
This  has  the  smallest  seed  of  any  variety  grown  here.  In  a  pound  of 
seed  of  the  same  variety,  selected  for  large  size,  there  were  21,800  seeds, 
one-third  less  than  the  average  sample. 

The  vigor  of  the  young  sorghum  plants  in  the  first  weeks  of  their  ex- 
o'steiice  corresponds  closely  to  the  weights  of  the  seeds  which  produced 
them. 

It  seems  evident  that  more  vigorous  plants  can  be  procured  by  select- 
ing seeds  which  are  above  the  average  size.  The  Liberian,  for  instance, 
produces  very  small  seeds,  and  these  produce  very  small  and  slow-grow- 
ing plants  while  they  areyoung,  although  they  eventually  produce  large 
and  handsome  canes.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  sample  of  larger  seeds 
selected  from  the  Liberian  had  the  same  weight  as  average  seeds  of 
other  varieties. 

It  is  to  be  supposed  that  these  larger  seeds  would   produce  more 
orous  plants  than  the  average  seeds  of  that  variety. 

Major  llallett  found  that    by  Selecting   the   finest  grains  of  wheat    he 

improved  the  plants  and  also  improved  the  variety. 

.Mr.  Wilson  separated  the  largest  and  the  smalles  of  the  Swed- 

ish turnip;  he  found  that  the  plants  from  the  Iarge8l  seeds  look  ihe 
lead  and  maintained  their  superiority  to  the  last. 

Director  liriein  made  similar  experiments  upon  sugar  heels,  as  fol- 
lows:* 

"  It  is  b  well-known  fact  that  seeds  of  different  size  and  weight  of  any  plant  will  cor- 
respondingly develop  plants  <>i*  different  Bize  and  weight   if  conditions  of  life  are 
*  Wiener  LandwirtechaftlicheZeituug,  l~-:  Science  II,  141. 


150 

otherwise  equal.  To  determine  the  amount  of  these  variations  in  the  sugar  beet  the 
author  made  the  following  experiment  :  Six  hunches  of  Beed  from  one  mother  hoot 
were  selected,  cultivated  separately,  and  the  developed  plants  transplanted  sifter 
thirty-seven  days  in  such  a  manner  that  each  plant  had  the  same  space  of  soil.  The 
crop  of  beets  gave  the  following  results: 


;  bunches. 

Plants  produced. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

C 

X<>.  1  contained  six  seeds 

No.  2 contained  six  seeds 

No. .';  contained  five  seeds  — 

No.  4  contained  five  seeds 

No.  5  contained  four  seeds.  . . 

No.  G  contained  four  seeds... 

Grams. 
1,160 

735 

(J:;:. 

370 

Grams. 
820 
oat) 
6  ', 
625 
525 

3:0 

72(1 
415 
•120 
500 
350 
310 

Oram*. 

2  10 
J    o 
310 
115 
3.i."> 

240 

2.-.:» 

35 

Grams. 

110 

2tr. 

55 

From  these  numbers  will  be  seen  the  great  difference  in  the  weight  of  the  beets 
although  produced  from  the  same  hunch.  This  illustrates  the  great  variability  of 
the  sugar  beet  in  inheriting  properties,  and  suggests  the  greatest  care  in  selecting 
seed  for  culture." 

Iii  the  work  in  the  selection  of  the  individual  canes  which  contained 
the  highest  percentage  of  sugar  it  was  noticed  that  almost  without  ex- 
ception the  seed-heads  of  these  canes  were  far  below  the  average  in 
size  and  weight.  This  will  be  seen  by  an  inspection  of  a  photograph 
which  was  taken,  showing  the  seed-heads  which  gave  the  highest  analy- 
sis in  the  work  this  season.  It  may  also  be  remarked  that  the  non- 
saccharine  varieties  are  invariably  large  seed-bearers,  and  have  mag- 
nificent seed-heads. 

Perhaps  the  simultaneous  production  of  a  large  amount  of  seed  and 
of  a  high  percentage  of  sugar  are  incompatible) 

When  any  select  ion  of  sorghum  seed  is  practiced  at  all  it  is  the  uni- 
versal  custom  to  select  the  largest  and  finest  seed  heads,  but  perhaps 
this  method  of  selection  is  better  calculated  to  improve  tlieyield  of  sved 
than  the  yield  of  sugar.  This  is  a  most  interesting  and  important  ques- 
tion, and  we  commend  it  to  future  investigators. 


CONTINUATION    OF   THE    WORE     IX   Mil'-   IMPROVEMENT    Ob    Till',  SOR- 

G-HUM    PLANT. 

The  necessity  for  the  continuance  of  this  work  has  already  been  suf- 
ficiently pointed  out.     Even  after  highly  sacchariferous  varieties  have 

been  produced  careful  selection  of  ^w<\  will  still  be  necessary  in  order 
to  maintain  a  high  Standard  of  excellence.  Who  is  to  can  \  on  this  es- 
sential brunch  of  the  indust  ry  I  In  Europe  the  beet  industry  is  suffi- 
ciently   extensive  to. justify    large  Beed   concerns  in   undertaking  such 

work,  and  s e  of  the  largest  factories  save  their  own  sv^\.    In  some 

Of  the  beet  growing  countries  the  agricultural  experiment  stations  ren- 
der efficieul  aid  in  this  direction.  In  this  country  the  Industry  is  still 
bo  young  that  it  can  not  be  expected  thai  private  capital  will  undertake 


151 

the  task  of  improving  the  plant  The  new  factories  have  so  much  to 
contend  with  that  they  can  not  possibly  devote  the  necessary  time  and 
expense  to  it.  The  agricultural  experiment  stations,  in  whose  province 
it  would  seem  to  fall,  have  been  but  recently  established  in  the  sorghum- 
growing  States,  and  are  not  fully  equipped  for  such  work,  besides  hav- 
ing their  attention  taken  up  by  other  agricultural  products.  Yet  sev- 
eral of  them  have  already  done  something  in  the  line  of  sorghum  im- 
provement, and  others  have  announced  their  intention  of  doing  so.  It 
would  seem  to  be  essentially  fitting  and  proper  if  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  were  provided  with  authority  and  means  for  its  continuance. 

Whoever  it  may  be  that  undertakes  the  work,  it  is  important  that 
they  should  have  the  benefit  of  whatever  the  experience  of  the  past 
season  at  this  station  has  taught  ;  we  think  it  advisable,  therefore,  even 
at  the  risk  of  some  repetition,  to  outline  in  a  general  way  the  principles 
and  methods  to  be  pursued  in  the  future  conduct  of  such  work.  It  must 
be  remembered,  of  course,  that  we  have  only  the  experience  of  one  short 
season  to  draw  upon,  and  while  many  of  our  ideas  are  based  upon  that, 
and  upon  analogies  in  beet  culture,  some  have  only  the  foundation  of 
our  own  judgment  to  rest  upon. 

In  selecting  sorghum  seed  the  following  may  be  outlined  as  the  gen- 
eral course  of  procedure: 

1.  Seed  should  be  selected  from  the  varieties  which  have  proved  to  be 
the  best  adapted  to  the  locality.  Those  which  are  defective  in  any 
respect  should  either  be  thrown  out  or  their  faults  removed  by  such 
crossing  or  selection  as  will  have  that  tendency. 

2.  The  seed  of  these  varieties  should  be  selected  from  the  individuals 
which  show  the  fewest  faults  of  form,  the  highest  content  of  sugar,  and 
the  least  content  of  other  substances. 

3.  The  seed  from  the  best  individuals  should  receive  such  cultivation 
and  fertilization  as  may  be  shown  by  experiment  to  give  the  best  results 
in  yield  of  sugar,  in  proportion  to  the  area  of  soil  covered. 

It  limy  seem  impossible  to  carry  on  these  several  lines  of  selection  at 
once;  to  select  >('cd  iVom  the  individual  canes  which  yield  most  sugar, 
and  at  the  Bame  time  to  select  seed  with  reference  to  the  physical  char- 
acters of  the  canes.  But  more  than  one  point  is  always  necessarily  con- 
sidered in  all  plant  selections.  The  faults  of  form  in  the  beet  have  been 
bred  out,  merely  to  obtain  a  form  to  admit  of  ready  cleansing. 

The  faulty  forms  of  the  sorghum  cane  have  already  been  pointed  out. 
Seed  should  never  be  saved  from  "tillers,"  or  secondary  canes,  or  sup- 
plementary heads,  as  they  woidd  tend  to  reproduce  canes  which  would 
produce  a  second  crop  of  seed. 

Photographs    of  some    of  the   canes    selected    for  future   propagation 

at  this  station  will  show  how  faulty  forms  inherent  to  certain  varieties 
m;i\  be  eliminated.  The  canes  are  from  a  plot  of  Link's  Hybrid.  This 
variety  has  nearly  always  proved  to  be  a  good   sugar-producing  va: 

and  its  greatest  ftiultisone  a.    The  top  joint  is  apt  to  1  long, 


152 

slender,  and  tapering;  and  as  the  seed  bead  is  pretty  heavy  it  sways  back- 
wards and  forwards  in  the  wind,  and  in  storms  is  very  apt  to  "lodge." 
Selections  made  from  a  rather  limited  number  of  canes  in  which  this 
tendency  was  partially  eliminated  gave  individuals  which  wore  great 
improvements  upon  the  typical  cane  of  the  variety.  This  shows  how  a 
fault  may  be  gradually  eradicated  by  selection  of  desirable  variations. 
Again,  from  a  cross  of  the  Links  Hybrid  with  the  Early  Orange,  in- 
dividuals were  obtained  which  retained  most  of  the  desirable  qualities 
of  the  former,  with  its  typical  seed  head,  and  engrafted  upon  the  stout, 
stocky  canes  of  the  latter.  This  shows  the  breeding  out  of  an  undesir- 
able quality  by  crossing.  The  photographs  which  show  the  canes  ob- 
tained by  these  two  different  methods  contrasted  with  typical  canes  of 
the  variety,  illustrate  very  graphically  the  possible  progress  that  can 
be  made  in  two  generations  in  the  improvement  of  a  variety  in  form. 
Faults  in  form  are  so  readily  seen,  that  it  is  much  more  easy  to  eradi- 
cate them  by  selection  than  faults  of  composition,  which  can  only  be 
ascertained  by  chemical  analysis.  Only  such  canes,  then,  should  be 
taken  for  analysis  as  show  not  only  freedom  from  general  faults,  but 
also  a  tendency  towards  elimination  of  faults  of  the  variety  to  which  it 
belongs. 

It  may  be  as  well  to  insert  here  a  caution  as  to  the  use  of  crossing. 
It  has  been  shown  that  sorghum  is  extremely  variable,  and  tins  tact  is  a 
sort  of  guaranty  that  by  continued  selection  improved  varieties  can  be 
created,  fcr  variation  makes  selection  possible,  and  selection  makes  im- 
provement possible,  but  care  should  be  exercised  in  making  use  of  this 
tendency.  There  is  a  well  founded  prejudice  against " mixed n  varieties 
of  sorghum.  The  most  worthless  men,  animals,  and  plants  arc  those 
which  belong  to  heterogeneous  and  indiscriminately  mixed  races.  Bad 
qualities  are  transmitted  as  well  as  good.  The  most  of  the  crosses 
grown  at  this  station  were  worthless.  Darwin  says,  '•  A  variety  may  be 
variable,  but  a  distinct  and  improved  race  will  not  he  formed  without 

selection.*'     After  the  desired   degree   of  variation   in   the  variety  has 

been  obtained  selection  should  be  based  upon  uniformity  rather  than 

variability,  in  order  that  the  qualities  may  become  fixed  and  stable. 

The  most  careful  and  rigid  precautions  should  be  taken  against  acci- 
dental crossing,  none  being  permitted  that  is  not  artificially  controlled 

by  methods  well  known  to  horticulturists.  It  would  probably  be  well 
to  prevent  cross  fertilization  even  in  plots  of  the  same  variety,  inten- 
sive cultivation  has  yet  to  he  died  on  the  90rghnm  plant,  and   perhaps 

where  there  is  already  so  .meat  a  range  of  variability,  there  is  greater 

pn»pcct  of  improvement  by  selection  and  self  fertilization  than  by 
crossing.      It  would  certainly  he  best    in   Crosses,  and   probably  best    in 

varieties,  to  plant  single  plots  from  hut  one  seed  head. 

In   selecting  the   xw<\    from    the   best    individuals  by  analysis  of  the 

juice,  not,  only  the  percentage  of  sugar,  but  also  the  purity  and  the 
percentage  of  glucose  must  be  considered.    This  problem  is  rendered 


153 

easier  of  solution  by  the  fact,  which  was  pretty  generally  noticeable  in 
the  work  at  this  station,  that  purity  of  juice  and  a  low  content  of  glu- 
cose generally  accompany  a  high  percentage  of  sucrose.  Moreover,  it 
is  generally  the  case,  though  this  is  not  so  constant,  that  a  high  density 
of  juice  indicates  high  content  of  sucrose,  low  of  glucose,  and  high 
purity.  The  following  analysis,  taken  from  some  of  the  individual 
canes  which  gave  the  best  polarizations  illustrates  this  point. 

Analyses  of  canes  showing  high  percentage  of  sugar. 


No. 

Docree 
Biis. 

Sucrose. 

Glucose. 

Coeffi- 
cient of 
purity. 

re 7-  crnt. 

Percent. 

422 

22.50 

17.  IS 

70.4 

627 

22.  lti 

17.05 

.  66 

76.  9 

4.11 

22.  28 

10. 93 

.  ."  ■"> 

7';.  o 

50.'} 

22.  'ID 

IG.'JIi 

.70 

77.0 

564 

22.  50 

16.85 

.91 

75.0 

565 

21   2.". 

10.  :;3 

77.0 

?:;* 

18.61 

14.98 

.  i-t 

80.  5 

4150 

19.  47 

14.  52 

.03 

74.2 

Rough  selections  therefore  can  be  made  by  the  hydrometer  spindle, 
throwing  out  all  which  do  not  come  up  to  a  certain  standard.  The 
selections  made  in  this  way  may  then  be  polarized,  and  further  selec- 
tions made  by  this  test,  while  tin1  final  selection  should  be  based  upon  a 
complete  analysis.  Considerable  weight  should  be  attached  to  the  purity 
as  a  basis  for  selection,  for  this  is  the  weak  point  of  sorghum  as  a  sugar- 
producing  plant.  It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  analyses  that  these 
canes  were  fully  equal  to  tropical  canes  so  far  asa  high  content  of  sucrose 
and  a  low  content  of  glucose  are  concerned,  but  the  purity  is  low  in 
proportion.  The  selection  and  comparison  of  canes  for  seed  should  be 
made  when  the  plot  has  reached  its  maximum  of  purity,  as  nearly  as  it 
is  possible  to  ascertain  that  point.  Then  the  relation  of  high  sucrose 
content,  high  density,  and  purity,  etc.,  is  most  likely  to  be  normal  and 
constant. 

It  will  be  Been  that  a  course  of  selection,  as  outlined  above,  necessi- 
tates the  making  of  a  great  manyanalyses.     Facilities  for  making  a  large 

number  of  analyses,  the  more  the  bitter,  would  constitute  an  essen- 
tial part  of  theequipment  ofa  station  for  the  improvement  of  the  plant 

But  undoubtedly  a  great  deal  could  be  accomplished  in  selection  of  seed 
by  the  use  of  the  hydrometer  alone,  where  facilities  for  complete  analy- 
sis do    not  exist,  until   the  time   comes  when  seed    improvement  can  he 

carried  out  properly  by  separate  stations  or  establishments. 

We  believe  that  every  large  caue  grower  should  test  his  canes  in  this 
way,  and  should  make  selections  of  Beed  bj  the  hydrometer  test,  unless 

he  can  use  still  better  methods.  Even  this  simple  method  of  selecting 
seed  would  he  vast  1\  bet  ter  t  han  the  usual  way  of  merely  selecting  seed 
that  is  ripe  and  sound.      If  constantly  practiced  it  would  do  much  to  iv- 


154 

move  the  blame  of  variableness  from  the  sorghum  plant,  because  it 
would  throw  out  from  the  seed  selections  the  seed-heads  from  canes 
which  have  weak  juice  which  contains  little  sugar.  English  horti- 
culturists call  destroying  inferior  plants  "rogueing,"  and  the  sorghum 
plant  now  needs  constant  rogueing.  This  can  best  be  done  by  throwing 
out  the  seed  of  canes  which  have  weak  juice. 

We  can  as  yet  lay  down  no  rules  in  regard  to  the  selection  of  either 
varieties  or  individuals  with  reference  to  the  size  or  yield  of  seed.  This 
can  only  be  done  when  it  has  been  settled  beyond  a  doubt  that  high 
saccharine  content  and  purity  of  juice  can  coexist  with  a  large  yield 
of  fine  seed.  Time  and  experience  only  can  settle  this  question,  for 
we  have  no  analogies  to  guide  us.  The  seed  is  a  most  important  by- 
product in  sorghum;  it  stands  alone  among  sacchariferous plants  in  its 
ability  to  furnish  at  the  same  time  both  a  product  of  sugar  and  a  crop 
of  valuable  cereal  grain.  Both  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  seed 
produced  vary  greatly  in  different  varieties;  some  of  them,  such  as  the 
Honey-dew,  White  African,  White  India,  etc.,  furnish  a  beautiful  white 
seed  ;  the  seed-producing  qualities  could  doubtless  be  easily  improved 
by  selection,  and  the  opportunity  thus  offered  is  very  tempting;  but 
for  the  present  it  seems  more  rational  not  to  expect  nature  to  honor 
duplicate  drafts  upon  her  treasury;  to  produce  a  big  crop  of  seed  and 
a  large  yield  of  sugar  from  the  same  piece  of  ground  that  ordinarily 
docs  only  the  former.  While  it  will  never  do  to  attempt  to  place  a  limit 
on  the  possibilities  in  the  case,  much  must  be  done  before  we  can 
expect  to  produce  a  sorghum  cane  with  the  sugar  content  of  Links 
Hybrid  or  Liberian.  combined  with  the  seed-head  of  Donra  or  Kaffir 
corn. 

Nothing  has  been  said  as  yet  of  a  very  important  element  which  must 
be  considered  in  all  improvements  of  a  race  of  animals  or  plants  :  that 
is,  the  power  of  the  selected  individual  to  transmit  its  qualities  to  its 
descendants.  An  individual  may  be  ever  SO  rich  in  good  qualities  itself, 
but  if  it  does  not  possess  also  the  power  of  impressing  its  own  character 
upon  its  posterity  it  is  not  the  best  one  to  choose  for  breeding  purposes. 
This  point    is  well  set    forth    in   the  letter  which  we   append,  from    the 

celebrated  seed  linn  of  Paris,  who  have  done  so  much  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  sugar  beet,  ami  whose  historical  connection  with  the  intro- 
duction of  ihe  sorghum  plant  into  this  country  will  lend  especial  interest 

to  what  they  have  to  say  with  reference  to  its  improvement. 

i  i.i  mi:   i  i:n.M    \  ii.moKIX,   AM)Kii:r\   a    CO.,   OH   IMPROVEMENT  OF  SORGHUM. 

Pari  3,  November  c»,  l  B88. 
Di  \i:  Sirj  Replying  to  yoar  inquiry  as  to  the  best  method  of  improving  the  sor- 
ghum plant,  we  .should  think  that  nobody  being  more  acutely  aware  than  you  prob- 
ably are  of  what  qualities  are  still  lacking  in  this  plant,  yon  must,  of  necessity,  be 
better  than  any  one  else  in  a  position  bo  make  the  flrsl  Btep  towards  success  :  which  is, 

to  have  a  clear  ami  precise  perception  of  I  he  aim  to  he  arrived  :il,  ;'.  $,,  of  the  most  im- 

portani  features  to  be  added  to  those  already  existing  in  the  plant. 


155 

Besides,  if  we  draw  a  correct  conclusion  from  what  we  gather  from  your  letter,  not 
only  has  this  step  been  already  made,  hut  you  expect  even  to  have  now  ready  on 
baud  the  necessary  materials  forgoing  a  step  further,  viz,  proceed  to  the  selection 
of  those  plants  as  possess  to  the  desirable  degree  the  \ery  qualities  looked  for. 

Here  we  must  remark,  as  regards  the  said  selection,  that,  as  far  as  our  experience 
goes,  it  does  not  seem  to  he  always  the  safest  way  to  systematically  discard  all  the 
merely  satisfactory  plants  and  to  give  the  preference  only  to  those  showing  some 
qualities  to  the  highest  degree.  On  the  contrary,  it  has  often  heen  the  case  that 
specimens  of  only  average  value,  hut  otherwise  well  fitted  plauts,  have  proved  to  af- 
ford the  surest  means  of  rapidly  obtaining  a  final  result. 

This  applies  especially  to  the  most  important  qnality  to  he  secured  in  the  selected 
plants,  which  is  the  capability  of  folly  transmitting  their  good  qualities  to  their  de- 
scendants, and  as  this  quality  can  not  well  he  ascertained  at  the  outset,  ir  is  neces- 
sary not  to  he  over  severe  in  the  first  selection,  and  subsequently  to  retain  only  those 
plants  as  show  this  quality  to  a  satisfactory  degree  and  then  to  make  a  careful  selec- 
tion amongst  these. 

During  the  whole  time,  of  these  experiments  it  will  he  necessary  to  take  the  re- 
quired measures  to  prevent  intercrossing,  so  that  the  successive  progeny  of  each 
individual  plant  he  kept  severely  by  itself,  andevery  hybridization  he  made  impossible, 
as  otherwise,  even  one  accident  might  he  conducive  to  impart  to  the  plant s  a  tendency 
to  variation,  which  may  make  it  the  more  difficult  to  obtain  that  lasting  constancy 
or  fixity  so  necessary  in  the  plants  that  are  intended  to  create  a  new  and  large  genera- 
tion liable  to  improve  rather  than  degenerate.  As  a  consequence,  it  will  also  he 
necesary  to  provide,  from  the  outset,  for  a  most  cartful  and  correct  record  of  the 
signs,  the  degree,  and  progress  of  each  of  the  qualities  recognized  in  each  individual 
plant  selected  for  future  propagation.  For  it  is  very  important  that  when  selecting 
stock  plants  amongst  the  new  generation  an  accurate  and  easy  comparison  of  each 
of  these  plants  may  he  made  with  every  one  of  his  ancestors,  so  that  the  increase 
gained  in  constancy  or  permanency  of  each  character  wanted  may  he  surely  ascer- 
tained, and  a  headway  moveim  nt  secured  with  certainty.. 

Of  course  the  number  of -erics  to  lie  studied  separately  may  vary  according  to  cir- 
cumstances, each  being  conducted  on  a  somewhat  different  basis  as  regards  the  most 
prominent  qualities  noticed  in  the  plants  used. 

I*.\  BUCh  means  and  by  never  altering,  without  good  reasons,  the  program  once  laid 
down  at  l  he  beginning,  you  may  expect  to  bring  the  desired  result  more  or  less  rapidly 
into  the  domain  of  established  facts.  Of  course,  much  depends  on  the  skill  shown  in 
the  successive  selections  to  he  made,  on  the  nature  of  the  plants  treated,  as  also  on 
circumstances. 

In  reply  to  your  query  about  publishing  this  letter,  we  have  only  to  say  that   if 
you  are  of  opinion  that  others  may  derive  some  benefit  from  reading  it,  we  shall   not 
have  the  least  object  ion  to  your  publishing  it. 
We  remain,  dear  sir.  yours  faithfully, 

VlLMOKIN,   ANDRTEl  \    A    I  '. ». 

Mr.  W.    P.   (i.i  \n  \  i. 

8terling  Sirup  WorJc8t  Sterling,  Kant. 


INDEX. 


A. 

Paue. 

Albumenoids,  determination  of,  at  Conway  Springs,  Kane 91 

Amber,  early. 114, 115 

Analyses  at  Rio  Grande,  N.  J.,  table  of 45 

Appropriation  bill,  date  of 5 

Arkansas,  analyses  of  samples  from 147 

13. 

Brix  spindles,  comparison  of,  by  drying,  at  Conway  Springs (J3 

C. 

Cane,  amber,  deterioration  of,  at  Rio  Grande 7 

character  of,  at  Kio  Grande 29 

best  time  for  planting 34 

Chinese 115,  1  lo 

analyses  of 14;S 

cost  of 1(J 

early  orange,  analyses  of 143 

experiments  in  growing  di  tie  rent  varieties  of 1  HI 

fallen,  deterioration  of 1  *  *  — L 

frozen,  analyses  of 1  IS 

Honduras L18.119 

Liberian,  analyses  of 142 

Link's  hybrid,  analyses  of 143 

orange,  varieties  of 116,117 

Planters'  friend,  analyses  of 143 

quantity  of,  worked  at  Conway  Spriugs -I 

raising,  Mr.  Dealing's  direct  inns  for 7:'»,  ?  1 

Red  Liberian 117,118 

richness  of,  at  Conway  Springs 

varieties  of,  grown  at  the  Sterling  Experiment  Station 112 

varieties  of,  grown  at  Douglass 94 

yield  of,  ;it  Conway  Spring* 67 

Canes,  distance  of,  in  t  he  row  1 1:> 

early  amber,  analyses  of i:;s 

highest  analyses  of I  i  : 

selected  Honduras,  analyses  of 138 

small  sucrose  ill '.>."> 

Chemical  control,  arrangements  for t> 

Importance  of 2] 

Chips,  exhausted,  analyses  of,  at  Douglass 103 

burning  of 19 

perinients  with,  at  Wanopringo  


158 

Chips,  exhausted,  disposition  of,  at  Douglass W 

\\  aste,  disposition  of 18 

weight  of,  in  each  cell 78 

Clarifying,  at  Kio  Grande 40 

Climate,  importance  of 17 

Collier,  Dr.  Peter,  varieties  from 119 

Coliiian,  Hon.  Norman  J.,  aid  from 49 

Conway  Springs,  eleval  ion  of 7."» 

experiments  at 63 

experiments  at 19 

financial  results  of 18 

object  of 6 

Sugar  Company,  incorporation  of 03 

Crampton,  ( '.  A.  and  A.  A.  Denton,  report  of L05 

Crop,  cane,  at  Dooglass,  character  of 14 

Crosses,  list  of 130 

analyses  of 31,  32,33,34 

Cultivation,  experiments  in  methods  of 144 

Cutter  and  pulper  at  Kcnner 49 

D. 

Deming,  E.  W.,  apparatus  of 83 

Denton,  A.  A.  and  C.  A.  Crampton,  report  of 105 

superintendent  of  station  at  Sterling 16 

Diffusion,  battery  at  Douglass 96 

failure  of 14 

at  Kenner 4fj 

at  Rio  Grande 39 

experiments  in  : 

notes  on 51 

with  sugai  cane,  progress  of 9fl| 

Dilution  at  Douglass 96 

Douglass,  Cans.,  experiments  at 13 

objecl  of 6 

mi  in  ma  iv  of  work  at 97 

E. 

Edson,  Hubert,  report  of 91 

Experiments  at  Kenner,  conclusions  from 11 

made  by  the  Department .  oik    object  of -1 

Extracl  Ion  at  Douglass 96 

El  a]  101  a  tor,  kind  used  at    Jlio  Grande 3? 

F. 

Factory  at  Conway  Springs,  equipment  of 61 

i  of --  80 

points  to  be  considered  in  building  of 17 

Fields,  cane,  proximity  of 19 

Filters,  sand 30 

•  lust    35 

Financial  statement,  Conway  Springs W 

i        i  i  year,  disadvantages  of  beginning  July  )  ,  —  I* 

I  onwaj  Springs ~i 

1 16, 1 17 


159 

Page. 

Frosts,  early,  effects  of 17 

dates  of 17 

Fuel,  crude  oil  as 37 

supply  of VJ 

G. 

Glucose,  ratio  of,  to  sucrose 7'.) 

Gypsum,  amount  of,  in  water  at  Conway  Springs 12 

in  water  at  Conway  Springs 07 

II. 

Honduras  cane,  analyses  of. 61 

Houses,  auxiliary 40,  41,  42 

Hughes,  H.  A.,  report  of 29 

Hybrid  varieties,  description  of CO 

I. 

Inversion  at  Rio  Grande 40 

J. 

Jennings,  O.  B.,  patent  of 23 

Juice,  cause  of  poor  extraction  of 78 

d illusion,  amount  drawn  at  each  charge 78 

at  Douglass  9(5 

dilution  of 7d 

Juices,  acidity  in,  at  Conway  Springs 92 

Douglass 103 

cane,  analyses  of,  at  Douglass 1)7 

clarified,  analyses  of,  at  Conway  Springs -7 

Douglass 101 

comparison  of  acidity  in,  at  Conway  Springs 92 

total  solids  in,  at  Douglass 104 

d illusion,  analyses  of,  at  Douglass LOO 

(  on  way  Springs 

from  exhausted  chips,  analyses  of,  at  Conway  Springs 90 

mill,  analyses  of,  at  Conway  Springs -     34 

from  fresh  ohips,  analyses  of,  at  Conway  Springs ^5 

K. 

Kansas  orange  cane, experiments  with 30 

Kenner,  conclusions  from  work  at 62 

experiments  at 10 

la  1  (oratory  work  at 49 

L. 

Letter  of  submittal \ 

lame,  air-slaked, experiments  with go 

carbonate,  experiments  with go 

caustic,  experiments  with  77 

of,  in  t  he  di  Has  ion  battery 23 

in  .lava  and  Australia 

diffusion  battery  by  Prof.  W.  C.  Stubbs 2:. 

•  •  N.  <  lunninghani 


1G0 

M. 

Page. 

Machinery  at  Conway  Springs,  description  of 63, 04,65, 00 

faults  of 13 

at  Douglass,  character  of M 

at  Rio  Grande,  character  of 8 

defects  of y 

report  of  Hubert  Edson  on 1» 

Manufacture,  method  of,  at  Rio  Grande 8, 3.~> 

Masse  cnites,  anal}  ses  of,  at  Conway  Springs 

Douglass 108 

Moisture  in  the  cane,  percentage  of 70 

Mo]  a -ses,  amount  made  at  Conway  Springs B8 

anal j  ses  of,  ai  Conway  Springs 89 

Douglass  102 

at  Com  way  Springs,  character  of    70 

price  of 70 

N. 

Neale,  Dr.  A.  T..  report  of 43 

New  Jersey  Experiment  Stat  ion,  Bulletin  51 10 

Nitrogen,  effect  of,  on  cane 34 

O. 

Oil,  crude,  advantages  of  ase  of 38 

price  of 38 

P. 

Polarization,  single  and  double f>0 

Potash,  effect  of,  on  cane 34 

Product  at  Conway  Springs,  character  of 07 

Public  property,  ase  of,  by  priv;i  c  corporations 'J I 

R. 

Reporl  to  Conway  Spring-  Sugar  Company,  abstract  of 71,72,73 

It io  Grande,  N.  J.,  experiments  at 7 

kson  of  1880 31 

L881 31 

1—2 32 

1884 32 

l--:. 32 

1886 33 

L887 33 

L888 34 

summary  of  results  at,  for  nine  j ears 30 

s. 

Saccharometers  designed  for  sorghum  juices 29 

difficulties  of  selection  of 

improvement  by  select  ion  of i"> 

impure,  results  of  planting  of 76 

:  ion  of,  from  canes  sho  a  ing  a  bigh  content  ol*  sugar I.'.T 

sorghum,  size  of 148 

yield  of,  at  Conway  Springs 

Shredding,  double  --•  36 

Simps,  analyses  of,  at  Conway  Springs 

101 


161 

Page. 

Soil  and  climate,  importance  of 17 

at  Douglass,  character  of , 14 

Sorghum,  advantages  of,  in  selection  of  seed 140 

development  of 128, 123 

cane,  faults  of 107,108 

improvement  of 15, 109 

methods  of 110 

necessity  for  improving  the 107 

varieties  of,  at  Baton  Rouge  Station 47 

varieties  of,  at  Kenner 46 

varieties  of,  at  North  Louisiana  Experiment  Station 47 

comparison  of,  with  the  sugar  beet 109 

industry,  facts  concerning 27 

in  Louisiana,  character  of 10 

late  planting  of 60 

analyses  of 60 

plant,  improvement  in  cultivation  of 150, 151,  K»2, 153, 154 

reasons  for  growing,  in  Louisiana 47 

sugar  industry,  limits  of 17 

^  needs  of 13 

analyses  of  varieties  of 51 

Spencer,  G.  L.,  letter  from 22 

Sports,  or  spontaneous  variations 128, 129 

Starch  in  sorghum 50 

Sterling,  Kans.,  experiments  at 14 

object  of  experimental  work  at 6, 107 

Experiment  Station,  method  of  work  employed  at 141 

sirup  works,  experiments  of 106 

Stubbs,  Prof  W.C.,  experiments  of 6 

with  sugar  cane '22 

report  of 46 

Sucrose,  average  per  cent,  of 76 

at  Douglass 96 

Sugar  beets,  analyses  of 139, 148 

Sugar,  amount  made  at  Conway  Springs 82 

at  Conway  Springs,  character  of 70 

price  of 70 

at  Douglass,  yield  of,  per  ton 14 

high  content  of,  at  Conway  Springs 12 

causes  of 12 

house  at  Douglass,  description  of <»;> 

industry,  success  of l  .*. 

waking,  on  a  small  scale,  failure  of 

poor  yield  of,  at  Conway  Spi  iogfl 18 

<   of IS 

yield  of.  pel  ton 

of,  at  Conway  Springs 

of,  pel  ton  from  sorghum 27 

of,  at  Douglass :»? 

Sugars,  analyses  of,  at  Douglass 102 

first  ana  3        gs 

polarization  of -i 

raw.  analyse!  mway  Springs 

Bwenson,  Psof.  Bfagnns,  paten!  of 

L4056— Bull.  20 11 


162 

T. 

Page. 

Tartaric  acid,  occurrence  of,  in  sorghum  cane 50 

Technical  and  chemical  control,  importance  of 21 

Total  solids,  comparison  of,  by  drying 25 

determination  of,  in  hydrogen 26 

by  saccharometers 26 

in  flat  dishes 2G 

V. 

Variations,  ease  with  which  they  are  produced 128 

in  standard  varieties,  analyses  of 135, 136 

in  unnamed  varieties,  analyses  of 137 

work  on 129,130 

Varieties,  acclimatization  of Ill 

comparison  of,  by  analysis 119 

different,  summary  of  analyses  of 124, 125 

early 113 

experiments  in  hybridizing  or  crossiug 127 

ten,  giving  best  results 126 

unnamed 119 

analyses  of 120, 121 

Vilmorin,1  Andrieux  &  Co.,  letter  from 154 

Von  Schweinitz,  E.  A.,  report  of 74 

W. 

Water,  at  Conway  Springs,  effect  of,  on  boilers 80 

supply,  at  Conway  Springs 67 

disadvantages  of  insufficient 18 

importance  of 18 

Wiley,  Dr.  H.W.,  letter  of 24 

results  of  experiments  of 70 

Work,  assignment  of 5 

o 


UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 


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